Social Prescribing

Enabling more Londoners to access social prescribing is a key ambition within the Mayor’s Health Inequalities Strategy. He wants to ensure that every Londoner has access to a social prescription in London by 2028.

Next Steps for Social Prescribing describes the building blocks we believe are essential to growing social prescribing, ensuring easy access and supporting local provision. It uses case studies and in-depth analysis to show how a partnership approach across health, social care and voluntary sectors can grow social prescribing across London. It also highlights the steps needed to achieve it to enable easy access to local services, supporting the workforce and ensuring the voluntary and community sector can provide appropriate services. The document is available at the foot of the page.

The Mayor has commissioned London Plus to co-ordinate the VCSE Social Prescribing Network. It aims to support, challenge, champion and connect the VCSE, enabling the sector to act as, and be viewed as an equal partner in Social Prescribing and ensuring the sector has the tools to be central to growth.

The Mayor has also commissioned the London Social Prescribing portal supported by Simply Connect to bring together resources, case studies and materials to support the VCSE in social prescribing. The portal will be launched in January 2021.

The GLA convenes the Social Prescribing Advisory Group (SPAG) - membership is open to all sectors contributing to social prescribing and the different parts of the social prescribing landscape.

This role enables the GLA to participate with partners and stakeholders such as the NHS and champion pan-London work.The GLA also leads and supports other activities such a small grants programme, grants and the commissioning of projects detailed in the Resources section of the site.

We are working with partners on initiatives to increase social prescribing activity providing cultural activities and social, welfare and legal advice.

You can find out more about social prescribing and cultural activity on these dedicated pages.

Reports on Social Prescribing and Culture and Social Welfare Legal Advice in a Health Setting can be found at the foot of the page.

We are exploring opportunities across the GLA group to influence how social prescribing can be mainstreamed. This work will support link workers, VCSE organisations and Londoners through health and wellbeing activity.