Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Social Prescribing: England

01 February 2022 · 1 other contributor · 4,174 words

Opened by Alexander Stafford Con Rother Valley

Responding minister: Maggie Throup

Social CareNHSEnvironment

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Alexander Stafford raised concerns about social prescribing: england in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Concerns raised about fragmented ecosystem of social prescribing support and significant inequality in access to green spaces.
  • Specific asks include accelerating recruitment of social prescribing link workers and integrating social prescribing into everyday processes.
  • Government committed to supporting healthier lives through extending social prescribing and expanding the National Academy for Social Prescribing.

Key requests to Government

I ask the Department of Health and Social Care to focus on eight main policy asks: accelerate recruitment of social prescribing link workers, ensure integrated care boards produce specific plans for implementing social prescribing, build leadership skills and capacity in the voluntary sector, commit to social prescribing being at the heart of levelling-up and health inequality agendas, increase funding into social prescribing activities, invest in digital infrastructure, have dedicated teams of social prescribing link workers in every social care organisation and hospital, and integrate social prescribing into everyday processes.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Alexander Stafford Con Rother Valley

I am concerned about the fragmented ecosystem of social prescribing support and significant inequality of access to green space. For example, one third of the population accounts for 80% of all visits taken, while 2.69 million people do not live within a 10-minute walk of a green space. People from low-income households are about 25% less likely to live within a five-minute walk of a green space and someone from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background is nearly four times as likely as a white person to have no access to outdoor space at home. Almost 40% of people from ethnic minority backgrounds live in areas most deprived of green space.

Other contributors (1)
  • Tracey Crouch Con Chatham and Aylesford

    Congratulates the hon. Member for Bolton West on securing the debate, mentions her role as Minister for loneliness where social prescribing was a significant part of the strategy to tackle loneliness. The Member for Chatham and Aylesford paid tribute to social prescribing link workers, highlighting their significant impact in combatting loneliness.

Government Response

Maggie Throup

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Davies. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Rother Valley (Alexander Stafford) for securing this debate on an important issue. Health is about more than traditional medicine; social determinants of health play a huge role in determining outcomes. The Government are committed to supporting healthier and more fulfilling lives through extending social prescribing and expanding the National Academy for Social Prescribing. NHS long-term plan targets were exceeded, with 1,000 additional link workers by 2020-21 and at least 900,000 referrals expected by 2023-24. The Government have recruited over 1,500 new link workers and made funding available for primary care networks to recruit social prescribing link workers through the additional roles reimbursement scheme. NHS England is carrying out measures to ensure social prescribing availability everywhere. The National Academy for Social Prescribing was launched in 2019; it has achieved a huge amount in a short space of time, with an additional £6 million committed over the next two years. The Government invested £5.7 million in a cross-Government project aimed at preventing and tackling mental ill health through green social prescribing, including a test-and-learn site awarded to South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw ICS with £300,000 of grant funding awarded to 39 different projects across the area. The Government remain committed to levelling-up outcomes and will publish a landmark levelling-up White Paper shortly, setting out bold new policy interventions to improve livelihoods and opportunity in all parts of the UK.

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