Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to promote the social prescribing of yoga to help patients with high blood pressure, heart disease, aches and pains, depression and stress.

The United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers have issued guidelines on the recommended levels of physical activity for good health and wellbeing. This can deliver wider social benefits for individuals and communities as well as savings for the health and care system.

As of March 2022, there were over 2,500 social prescribing link workers in the National Health Service in England and over 900,000 referrals have been made. Social prescribing is a universal offer and a component of personalised care. Link workers connect people to agencies for practical, emotional and social support and to community groups and activities, which can include yoga. Services are commissioned locally so this offer may vary.