BACKGROUND: There is a strong national drive within the UK government and National Health Service for social prescribing. Previous research studies have mainly focused on service user perspectives and evaluating their experiences. There is limited evidence on how the general public perceive and understand what social prescribing is and how these views could influence service planning and delivery. This paper seeks to understand perceptions of social prescribing within the wider community. METHODS: Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with 37 members of the public in four areas in north-west England. We explored public awareness and understanding of social prescribing. RESULTS: Limited knowledge of the term social prescribing was found amongst participants as well as limited involvement in community discussions of the topic. Concerns were raised about the short-term nature of activities and the need for adequate resourcing to support continuity of service provision. The social prescribing link worker was considered to be important in supporting engagement with services and it was preferred this role was undertaken by people with local knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide evidence of public perspectives on social prescribing and highlight how wider community perceptions can supplement service user feedback to support social prescribing service planning, commissioning and delivery.
BACKGROUND: There is a strong national drive within the UK government and National Health Service for social prescribing. Previous research studies have mainly focused on service user perspectives and evaluating their experiences. There is limited evidence on how the general public perceive and understand what social prescribing is and how these views could influence service planning and delivery. This paper seeks to understand perceptions of social prescribing within the wider community. METHODS: Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with 37 members of the public in four areas in north-west England. We explored public awareness and understanding of social prescribing. RESULTS: Limited knowledge of the term social prescribing was found amongst participants as well as limited involvement in community discussions of the topic. Concerns were raised about the short-term nature of activities and the need for adequate resourcing to support continuity of service provision. The social prescribing link worker was considered to be important in supporting engagement with services and it was preferred this role was undertaken by people with local knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide evidence of public perspectives on social prescribing and highlight how wider community perceptions can supplement service user feedback to support social prescribing service planning, commissioning and delivery.
Authors: Sandy Whitelaw; Claire Thirlwall; Amy Morrison; Jill Osborne; Lisa Tattum; Sharon Walker Journal: Prim Health Care Res Dev Date: 2016-06-08 Impact factor: 1.458
Authors: James Woodall; Joanne Trigwell; Ann-Marie Bunyan; Gary Raine; Victoria Eaton; Joanne Davis; Lucy Hancock; Mary Cunningham; Sue Wilkinson Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2018-08-06 Impact factor: 2.655
Authors: Kerryn Husk; Kelly Blockley; Rebecca Lovell; Alison Bethel; Iain Lang; Richard Byng; Ruth Garside Journal: Health Soc Care Community Date: 2019-09-09