Exploring the need for a social prescribing pathway in an Australian paediatric allied healthcare intake service: a pilot feasibility and acceptability study

Background: The social determinants of health (SDH) drive child health inequities. Adverse SDH are experienced at an individual level as unmet social needs. In a paediatric Allied Healthcare system, these unmet social needs are barriers to service access. Evidence: Social prescribing offers a promising solution. However, this practice is not routinely implemented in Australia. Objective: To determine whether the Routine Identification of Unmet Social Needs to Unlock Potential (RISE UP) social prescribing model of care is needed, feasible, and acceptable within a paediatric Allied Healthcare intake context. Methods: A pilot study using mixed-methods approach to design, implement, and evaluate the RISE UP model of care. Results: < 0.05). RISE UP was acceptable to parents/carers (97.2%). Staff reported mixed acceptability (55.8%) and feasibility (64.3%). Conclusion: Unmet social needs identification and referrals pathways in paediatric Allied Healthcare intake services are needed and acceptable to parents/carers. However, further action is required to overcome challenges in integrating these models within existing Allied Healthcare systems in Australia.