Dawn Carnes|Ratna Sohanpal|Caroline Frostick|Sally Hull|Rohini Mathur|Gopalakrishnan Netuveli|Tong Jin|Patrick Hutt|Marcello Bertotti
The impact of a social prescribing service on patients in primary care: a mixed methods evaluation
Queen Mary University of London|Queen Mary University of London|University of East London|Queen Mary University of London|Queen Mary University of London|University of East London|University of East London|University of East London
social prescribing targeted isolated lonely patients practitioners patients jointly develop bespoke wellbeing plans promote social integration social reactivation aim investigate whether social prescribing service could implemented general practice gp setting evaluate effect wellbeing primary care resource usewe used mixed method evaluation approach using patient surveys matched control groups qualitative interview study study conducted mixed socioeconomic multiethnic inner city london borough socially isolated patients frequently visited gp intervention implemented social prescribing coordinators outcomes interest psychological social wellbeing health care resource useat 8 months followup differences patients referred social prescribing controls general health depression anxiety positive active engagement life social prescribing patients high gp consultation rates fell year following referral qualitative study indicated patients positive experience social prescribing service utilised full extentchanges general health wellbeing following referral limited comprehensive implementation difficult optimise although gp consultation rates fell may reflected regression mean rather changes related intervention whether social prescribing contribute health nation social psychological wellbeing still determined