Social prescribing: GP Q&A

Loneliness and social isolation affect one in three Australian adults and two in five young people, with evidence showing the health impact is worse than smoking 15 cigarettes a day. You may already be doing a lot to connect your patients to relevant support they need – but are you considering how social connection can also be a core determinant for your patients’ wellbeing and health?

What is social prescribing in general practice?

Social prescribing is an approach where GPs support patients by connecting them to non-medical supports in their community. This may include community groups, exercise programs, volunteering, social activities, housing or financial supports, and other services that address the social factors affecting health.

In an Australian evaluation of a social prescribing intervention for injured workers, social prescribing was associated with an approximately 27% reduction in weekly health service contacts (including GP visits and other primary care contacts) following the intervention.[1]

An evaluation in England found that social prescribing reduced GP appointments by about 42% over 12 months among participants, compared to a 5.6% reduction in a control group.[2]

Why is social prescribing relevant to general practice?

Many health issues are influenced by social factors such as loneliness, isolation, housing stress, or financial pressure. These cannot always be resolved through clinical treatment alone. Social prescribing helps GPs address these broader drivers of health and wellbeing in a structured way.

What benefits does social prescribing offer patients?

GPs report that social prescribing can help improve:

• mental health and emotional wellbeing
• physical health and chronic disease management
• social isolation and loneliness
• confidence, self-esteem, coping skills and self-agency
• building and sustaining quality relationships and support networks
• connection to local supports and services.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) says tackling loneliness must start with systematically identifying and addressing social determinants of health, which account for an estimated 30–55% of health outcomes.

“General practice can’t respond to unmet social need if we don’t routinely identify it,” said Dr Kuljit Singh, Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Social Prescribing.

How does social prescribing work in practice?

A GP identifies a non-medical need during a consultation and connects the patient to relevant supports. This may be done directly or through link workers, care coordinators, or community navigators who help patients access services and follow through with support.

Why is there growing support for social prescribing?

Social prescribing is increasingly recognised as a way to integrate clinical care with social and community supports. This helps GPs provide more holistic, patient-centred care, following the biopsychosocial model, and can reduce downstream health system pressures by addressing issues earlier.

RACGP endorsement

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) encourages both clinicians and patients to engage with social prescribing in practical ways, including:

• joining or referring to activities such as those listed in the Active & Healthy program (City of Gold Coast).
• exploring shared medical appointments, which build health literacy, peer support and social connection.
• strengthening partnerships with community and aged care organisations that support patients beyond the clinic. Here on the Gold Coast, options can include BlueCare, Feros Care and OzCare, as well as activity organisations like U3A, and joining the Active & Healthy program classes.

“Activities involving movement, nature, arts, culture, education and heritage are not extras, they are evidence-based interventions,” said Dr Singh.

“Social prescribing is not a ‘nice to have’. It is a must have if we are to curb the rise of chronic physical, mental and social illness affecting Australians and our communities.”

Sources

[1] Pescheny, J. V., Pappas, Y., & Randhawa, G. (2025). The dual impact of social prescribing: targeting social determinants to enhance quality of life in chronic conditions. BMC Primary Care, Article e12875. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12875-025-02997-6.

[2] National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) (2024). The Impact of Social Prescribing on Health Service Use and Costs: Examples of local evaluations in practice. Evidence report summarising NHS-linked local evaluations. London, UK.