Social Prescribing arises from a real need of health professionals, when they are confronted with social, emotional and practical challenges of users that impact their health and well-being, and exclusively clinical approaches are not enough to respond in a preventive and health promotion aspect.
In a model of integrating health, social and cultural care, Social Prescribing facilitates the approach of health care users to existing support resources in the community through individualized responses adapted to the specific needs of each one. The answers can be promotion of healthier lifestyles (e.g. physical activity, healthy cooking), contact with nature (e.g. walking, gardening), socioeconomic support, social activation, personal and professional development (e.g. volunteering, training and employment), and cultural participation (cultural, artistic and creative activities), among many others.
In this way, Social Prescribing is an opportunity to strengthen the articulation between different sectors and actors to effectively solve the non-clinical social needs of each person.
HOW SOCIAL PRESCRIBING ARISES
Social Prescribing was born in the context of primary health care in the United Kingdom, in the late 1990s, and has since developed reaching new territories and in several modalities. The significant expansion of Social Prescribing at the global level has been accompanied by the World Health Organization. It is currently consolidated in more than 20 countries. In Portugal, the implementation of Social Prescribing began in 2018, in the pilot project in Family Health Units in Lisbon. NOVA NSPH participated, from the beginning, in the planning and implementation of this project, and developed its monitoring and evaluation. Currently there are numerous Social Prescribing initiatives to be developed, from the north to the south of the country, with the support of the School, in partnership with several health units, municipalities and civil society organizations.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SOCIAL PRESCRIBING?
Scientific evidence demonstrates the potential to generate benefits at three levels – person, services and community – contributing to:
WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL PRESCRIBERS (LINK WORKERS OR REFERENCE PROFESSIONALS)?
- Social Prescribing has the important performance of the Social Prescriber (also called link worker, liaison professional, reference professional or community care coordinator), who works together with professionals from various areas to improve the well-being, quality of life and physical and mental health of the person, based on their needs, preferences and motivations.
- Social Prescribers play a fundamental role based on the development of relationships of trust with people, through personalized support, referral to the resources identified in the community and monitoring their journey.
- They also have a relevant role in identifying and updating the resources available in the community with all stakeholders, and strengthening or dynamizing new partnerships with partners and health professionals and the social and cultural sector.
WHY IS WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE COMMUNITY IMPORTANT?
- Community work, in a logic of care integration, strengthening the articulation of responses between sectors with an impact on health – e.g. social, cultural, sports, educational, urbanism, environmental – and enhancing existing resources, contributes to better responding to non-clinical needs that affect people’s health and well-being.
- A multisectoral collaboration matrix can foster the joint development of new responses in the community that are appropriate to the identified needs, thus contributing to the centrality of citizen care.
