What evidence has the Minister seen of the success of social prescribing in Wales?
There is a growing body of evidence supporting the positive impact social prescribing can have on the health and wellbeing of people in Wales. A baseline study by the Wales School of Social Prescribing Research (WSSPR) shows there has been a clear year-on-year increase in referrals and use of social prescribing, from around 10,000 in 2018/19, to just over 25,000 in 2020/21. Through its early preventative approach, social prescribing could help ease the burden on front-line specialist services. Evidence suggests it can reduce the footfall to GP surgeries by 15% - 28%.
The new National Framework for Social Prescribing (NFfSP), which I launched at an online event on 7 December 2023, seeks to support local action to mainstream social prescribing across Wales. Several products of the NFfSP seek to show the benefits of social prescribing as well as support the strengthening of the evidence base. Two such products include:
§ A suite of case studies, developed by Public Health Wales (PHW), to aid the shared understanding of social prescribing amongst public and professionals. These case studies highlight the breadth of social prescribing practice, its cross-sectoral and person-centred approach, and how social prescribing can support individuals with a broad range of health and wellbeing needs.
§ The development of guidance which sets out the core data to be collected by organisations whose primary function is to deliver social prescribing, and which will support effective performance of social prescribing. It is expected to be completed by summer 2024. This will help inform research into the benefits of social prescribing and an evaluation of the impact of social prescribing in Wales.