Social prescribing could help alleviate pressure on GPs

Social prescribing could help reduce pressure on health and care services by referring patients seeking help for non-medical issues to community based non-clinical services, says a report published by the Social Prescribing Network, a group dedicated to supporting social prescribing at local and national levels.1

It says that around 20% of patients consult GPs for problems that are primarily social rather than medical, and dealing with these needs is important because social and economic factors affect health outcomes.

However, many of these patients’ needs are not …