Another suggested example is of a patient who has been newly prescribed an antidepressant. When being counselled about the new medication, the patient mentions how he lives alone and works from home. He started drinking more which is when he felt it necessary to see the GP.²²

This might be an opportunity to discuss what impact a relatively solitary lifestyle may have on other areas of life. If the patient sees this as potentially debilitating, it may be worth investigating further, for example with the UCLA Loneliness Scale tool.

If this suggests the patient would benefit from referral to a link worker, discussion points could include:

• ·       the link worker knows about the different social programs available;

• ·       the link worker is there to spend time with the patient helping them to make a decision about which activities may be helpful for social isolation;

• ·       taking part in a social prescribing intervention is not a guaranteed solution and will not replace his medical care;

• ·       however, it may make his medical care more effective by improving his depressive state, and help him reduce his drinking;

• ·       the patient would be welcome to see the pharmacist in a few weeks’ time to discuss how he is getting on.