Social prescribing is the practice where health professionals, including GPs, have the resources and infrastructure to link patients with social services – or even social groups – in a bid to address the social determinants contributing to poor health and stave off the epidemic of loneliness and social isolation. A GP may, for example, suggest a patient join a local running group to enjoy the benefits of exercise and interaction.
CHF has partnered with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), with the NHMRC Partnership Centre for Health System Sustainability as academic partner to host a roundtable on social prescribing in Australia. The report on the roundtable was released on 11 February 2020.
The Australian Government is currently developing long-term plans for both primary healthcare and preventive health. This presents an opportunity to incorporate social prescribing into future health system planning and service delivery strategies.
Reports
Social prescribing roundtable report - published 11 February 2020
Rapid literature review in support of the report - published 11 February 2020
Social prescribing roundtable stimulus paper - published 28 January 2020
The CHF Australian and New Zealand Consumer Experience and Leadership in Healthcare
Virtual Summit, 18-19 March 2021
Related articles
Social prescribing - a new way to think about healthcare (article)
Media release: A new type of prescribing for Australian patients(media release)