Potential outcomes of social prescribing include:

• ·       supporting people to stay well for longer, by preventing or delaying the onset or worsening of long-term conditions;⁴

• ·       having a positive impact on a very wide range of outcomes, including decreases in loneliness, or improvements in mental health, in social connections and in overall wellbeing.¹⁹

Research has suggested that social prescribing schemes can deliver between £2 to £8 in social and economic value for every £1 invested.²⁰

NASP findings on the impact on health service use and costs published in November 2024 indicate that social prescribing can substantially reduce pressure on the NHS, including through reduced GP appointments, reduced hospital admissions and reduced A&E visits. Examples include:²¹

• ·       Tameside and Glossop saw a 42% reduction in GP appointments among a cohort of 1,751 people referred to social prescribing;

• ·       Kent saw up to a 23% reduction in A&E attendances based on data from 5,908 people seen by a social prescribing link worker;

• ·       in Kirklees, social prescribing support for frequent users reduced GP appointments by 50% and A&E attendances by 66%;

• ·       in Rotherham, frequent users’ A&E attendances were reduced up to 43% and pre and post analysis on frequent users reported a reduction in costs up to 39% for A&E attendances;

• ·       in Newcastle, secondary care costs in 2019-20 were 9% lower compared to a matched-control group where social prescribing was unavailable.