Social prescribing in community care from a policy and practice perspective

Social prescribing enables professionals to refer patients to non-clinical services, addressing both physical health and mental wellbeing needs. Although not a new concept, current attitudes toward salutogenic models are gaining momentum. The author explores opportunities to embed social prescribing in healthcare in a more robust way through the lens of government policy. The future of social prescribing is promising as it brings forth multiple benefits, although there are also limitations as one size does not fit all. Community nurses have an important role to play as they have key knowledge of how their neighbourhoods function and the needs of local populations.