Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide additional funding to ensure the sustainability of social prescribing in (a) the UK and (b) Torbay.

As part of our Mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, the Government has underlined its commitment to taking a preventive approach to addressing health inequalities.

We are determined to improve people’s physical and mental health, to support them to live longer and healthier lives, and we recognise the role that social prescribing can play in this.

In March 2025, the Department agreed a further year of grant funding for the National Academy for Social Prescribing, securing £1.5 million to advance and expand social prescribing across England.

The Department funds the workforce through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, including for social prescribing link workers in primary care.

In Torbay, two primary care networks employ a combined 8.6 whole time equivalent social prescribing link workers at a value of £364,958 per annum.

The Torbay Better Care Fund invests a further £221,000 within the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector to fund three whole time equivalent social prescribers, known as well-being co-ordinators, and a full-time manager.