Social Prescribing Models

Description: Social prescribing models describe the different forms of social prescribing support and interaction offered to an individual. These are often described as:

Signposting: The individual is simply pointed in the direction of appropriate and/or potentially useful or helpful community assets.

Light: The social prescribing practitioner engages in active signposting and refers people to a specific programme/intervention to address a particular need and/or meet or work towards clearly defined objectives within a specified timeframe.

Medium: A short intervention in which the social prescribing practitioner helps the individual identify their needs and provides active signposting and support across a range of areas that may include both managing physical health and psychological wellbeing within a specified timeframe.

Holistic: The most common form of social prescribing and one that aims to support the individual in a holistic manner over a longer period of time, aided by a social prescribing practitioner. The social prescribing practitioner, using a what matters conversation, helps the individual identify their needs and navigate and access suitable services. The social prescribing practitioner provides a broad range of interventions and connects the person to local community assets. There are no limits to the number of times the person is seen; this is determined by a holistic assessment of the person’s needs. Seen to have evolved from social prescribing signposting, light and medium. There are considerable differences in the number and type of staff recruited, their focus activity, and the method of referral to the social prescribing practitioner.

Socially prescribed community service: Describes a social prescribing service for people or a community with specific needs e.g. for people living with dementia and their carers. It may be considered a form of targeted referral.

Community enhanced social prescribing: A model of social prescribing that combines community engagement, organisational change and individual-level practice, with the aim of improving both community and individual wellbeing. It provides a way of thinking about the reciprocal value of individual and community wellbeing in the context of primary health care and local communities.

Alternative Terms: link worker-based models, link worker programme, social prescribing offer

Connected Terms: Action planning, active signposting, asset-based approach, asset mapping, community assets, co production, holistic, person-centred approach, referral, social prescribing, social prescribing approaches, social prescribing pathway, social prescribing practitioner, statutory services, wellbeing, what matters conversation.