Measuring Outcomes of Social Prescribing
Social Prescribing (SP) is a non-medical community-based service that links people with health-promoting activities and support services in their local community. SP is usually delivered by link workers who meet with individuals to identify their activity and/or support needs. Following this, the link worker either provides information to the individual on how and where to access suitable activities in their community (e.g. exercise programmes, education, counselling services) and, if necessary, will accompany the person to their preferred activity/support service. Different models of SP exist in Ireland therefore the SP process varies based on the environment/organisation in which SP services are located. Services currently delivering SP include community-based organisations, GP Practices, Hospitals, Universities etc. The focus of, and rationale for, setting up services differ, as do the social and health needs of individuals attending services.
Due to the recent expansion of SP services there is a need for a common and rigorous approach to evaluation of SP. A recent systematic review concluded that evidence is lacking on the effectiveness of SP in improving individuals’ health and well-being. The review concluded that further research is needed to identify core components of SP, and anticipated outcomes based on the population for whom services are designed. The purpose therefore of this workshop is to bring together key SP stakeholders in the island of Ireland including individuals who manage SP services, individuals who attend SP and those involved in evaluating SP services. These stakeholders will be invited to identify core components of SP, regardless of context of delivery and agree on suitable evaluation approaches to measure outcomes of SP. This is the first phase in developing a collaborative all- Ireland programme of research for testing the effectiveness of SP.
Recommendations from this workshop will be shared through information events, social media and a SP Evaluation report.
- Award Date
- 05 April 2023
- Award Value
- €5,000
- Principal Investigator
- Dr Deirdre Connolly
- Host Institution
- Trinity College Dublin
- Scheme
- Conference and Event Sponsorship Scheme