What plans does the Welsh Government have to support the use of social prescribing in primary care as is done in England where the general practice contract can allow primary care networks to be reimbursed for the cost of hiring a link worker?
Whilst the primary care model of social prescribing, in which individuals are referred from general practice, is the dominant model in some systems, more community-based, cross-sectoral models not limited to healthcare/primary care, have emerged in Wales and are becoming more commonplace.
The £144.6million a year ’Health and Social Care Regional Integration Fund’ continues to support the social prescribing models that form an important part of the placed based models of care we are seeking to embed.