So what is social prescribing

Social Prescribing is a practice where health professionals utilise resources and infrastructure to connect patients with social services and social groups to address the social determinants of health. In Australia, social prescribing is a relatively new concept which has not been formalised. However, countries such as the UK have formalised social prescribing into their healthcare systems due to its well researched positive impact on healthcare. 

Social prescribing at its core, values and recognises that healthcare should go beyond an individual's physical condition and seek to treat more than just disease. Recognising that individuals' personal circumstances have detrimental effects on their health has led to the “prescription” of community programs and referrals to financial educational and housing services among others. 

The core idea is to treat these psychosocial issues the same way we would treat physical ailments, as problems to be fixed in order to allow individuals to live their lives in a manner that works for them. Practitioners may have multiple contacts and programs to prescribe before patients find ones that work well for them in their lifestyles, similar to traditional therapies. 

our aims

• Advocating for the inclusion of social prescribing in Australian healthcare and Australian medical curriculum.
• Creating meaningful relations with key stakeholder groups nationally and internationally.
• Educating medical students about social prescribing.