Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support the rollout of social prescribing.

As of September 2021, there were over 1,400 new social prescribing link workers in place, and we are making progress toward the target of at least 900,000 people referred to social prescribing by 2023/24. Link workers play a vital role in connecting health with the local voluntary and community sector. Primary Care Networks (PCN) and local systems are encouraged to work with local stakeholders to develop social prescribing provision and community assets in their area.

The PCN Direct Enhance Service contract specification requires all PCNs to provide access to a social prescribing service. PCNs are being supported to recruit social prescribing link workers through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, with 100% reimbursement up to Agenda for Change Band 5. Link workers can be employed by PCNs or sub-contracted to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations as part of the contract.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked local integrated care systems and sustainability and transformation partnership areas to work across health, care and voluntary sectors, to develop place-based plans to ensure sustainability of social prescribing in their area. The Department has continued to support the National Academy for Social Prescribing with a recent commitment of £6 million in grant funding for the next two years.