Understanding Social Prescribing in Disadvantaged Areas

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Will NHS social prescribing benefit patients in socially and economically disadvantaged settings? - A mixed-methods study of link worker interactions and networks

• IRAS ID

  323958

• Contact name

  Amadea Turk

• Contact email

  amadea.turk@phc.ox.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Oxford Research Governance, Ethics and Assurance

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 4 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Background:
  Social prescribing is an area of growing policy, practice, political and academic interest in the UK and internationally and is being implemented on a large scale across the NHS. Social prescribing involves signposting and supporting patients to access groups, activities and support available in their local communities. The NHS is employing link workers to undertake social prescribing. Link workers spend time talking to patients and understanding their needs in order to link them to support in the community. For social prescribing to work, link workers must be able to form connections and relationships with community organisations as well as with patients. We don’t know whether, or how, social prescribing works in areas with high levels of social and economic disadvantage. In these areas, link workers might struggle to make connections with community organisations as they might be more overstretched compared less disadvantaged areas.

  Aims:
  To explore whether, and how, social prescribing works in areas with high levels of social and economic disadvantage by looking at how link workers form relationships and connections with patients and community organisations.

  Design/Methods:
  This study will collect qualitative and quantitative data from up to 5 primary care sites, with 5 link workers. I will conduct interviews and observations with link workers and patients. I will use a research approach called social network analysis to map, measure, and understand how link workers make connections with organisations and patients. This will help me understand whether, and how, social prescribing is working in disadvantaged areas. I will collect data using interviews, observations and surveys with both link workers and patients and repeat these after 6-9 months.

• REC name

  London - Chelsea Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  23/PR/0911

• Date of REC Opinion

  18 Sep 2023

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion