Referral routes to community support; exploring the impact of social prescribing

Examine associations across survey outcomes for those referred via SP compared to other routes.<br><br>Stage one, following the PRISMA-ScR framework, identified four SPLW themes: collaboration with participants to set goals and monitor progress; connection to community/statutory support; holistic views of health; and the importance of training to improve referrals. The review also highlighted inconsistencies in terminology and delivery across SP, informing the survey design.<br><br>Stage two, underpinned by a pragmatic approach, employing positivist methods, analysed longitudinal survey data at baseline, one, six and 12 months from 330 individuals engaging with community-led organisations in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Health and wellbeing were assessed using ICECAP-A, EQ-5D-5L, SWEMWBS and SCS-R measures. Comparative analysis explored SP versus alternative referrals, and linear mixed models tested predictive strength.<br><br>Findings showed significant improvements across all participants, with greater gains for SP referrals, most evident at 12 months. Significant time–SP interactions were observed across all measures, with ICECAP-A showing the most consistent effects.

LMMs revealed demographic factors, including disability, income, employment, retirement, and setting, influenced outcomes more strongly than the specific CLO attended.<br><br><i>Thesis is embargoed until 31 December 2026.</i>