Professor Tessa Pollard t.m.pollard@durham.ac.uk
Professor
Implementation and impact of a social prescribing intervention: an ethnographic exploration
Pollard, Tessa; Gibson, Kate; Griffith, Bethan; Jeffries, Jayne; Moffatt, Suzanne
Authors
Kate Gibson
Bethan Griffith
Jayne Jeffries
Suzanne Moffatt
Abstract
Background: Social prescribing involves referral of patients from primary care to link workers, who work with them to access appropriate local voluntary and community sector services. Aim: Our aim was to explore how a social prescribing intervention was delivered by link workers and the experiences of those referred to the intervention. Design and Setting: We used ethnographic methods to conduct a process evaluation of a social prescribing intervention delivered to support those living with long-term conditions in an economically deprived urban area. Method: We used participant observation, shadowing, interviews and focus groups to examine the experiences and practices of 20 link workers and 19 clients over a period of 19 months. Results: Social prescribing provided significant help for some people living with long-term health conditions. However, link workers experienced challenges in embedding social prescribing in an established primary care and voluntary sector landscape. The organisations providing social prescribing drew on broader social discourses emphasising personal responsibility for health, which encouraged a drift towards an approach that emphasised empowerment for lifestyle change more than intensive support. Pressures to complete assessments, required for funding, also encouraged a drift to this lighter touch approach. A focus on individual responsibility was helpful for some clients, but had limited capacity to improve the circumstances or health of those living in the most disadvantaged circumstances. Conclusion: We conclude that careful consideration of how social prescribing is implemented within primary care is required if it is to provide the support needed by those living in disadvantaged circumstances.
Citation
Pollard, T., Gibson, K., Griffith, B., Jeffries, J., & Moffatt, S. (2023). Implementation and impact of a social prescribing intervention: an ethnographic exploration. British Journal of General Practice, 73(735), 789-797. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp.2022.0638
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Apr 4, 2023 |
Online Publication Date | Jul 11, 2023 |
Publication Date | 2023 |
Deposit Date | Apr 17, 2023 |
Publicly Available Date | Jun 21, 2023 |
Journal | British Journal of General Practice |
Print ISSN | 0960-1643 |
Electronic ISSN | 1478-5242 |
Publisher | Royal College of General Practitioners |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 73 |
Issue | 735 |
Pages | 789-797 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp.2022.0638 |
Public URL | https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1175886 |
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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Accepted Journal Article
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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Copyright Statement
© 2023, The Authors
This article is Open Access: CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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