Access to social prescribing services must be expanded to help tackle the mental health consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, says a new statement issued by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) and the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych).
The statement finds that the availability of social prescribing services must be improved so that everyone who would benefit from the treatment has access to support, irrespective of where they live. The report also states that social prescribing should complement other treatment options and not be used as a substitute.
Social prescribing sees patients prescribed activities including art classes, educational or training courses and group gardening projects to improve both their physical and mental wellbeing. These varied activities are also crucial in alleviating feelings of loneliness and its mental health consequences.
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused loneliness –frequently linked to mental health problems including depression, anxiety and low self-esteem – to reach record levels in the UK. Recent data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 86% of women and 74% of men reported feeling lonely at the end of January 2021. Although loneliness itself is not a mental disorder, people living with a mental illness are more likely to experience it and those who are lonely are more likely to go on to develop mental health disorders in the future.
The joint report by RCOT and RCPsych shows that many people who would benefit from the support of social prescribing stand to miss out as services are not evenly available across the country. This is largely due to variation in priorities and spending between local areas, making service provision inconsistent across the UK.
Karin Orman, Assistant Director- Professional Practice at RCOT, commented: “RCOT supports the development of social prescribing across all health and care settings as a key component to enable people to participate in social activities.
“The importance of social participation on maintaining good mental health has been amplified during the pandemic. Social prescribing clearly supports people’s wellbeing and occupational therapists can work with those whose needs are more complex and require a more tailored approach to actively engage and participate in social activities.
“For that reason, occupational therapists and psychiatrists are obvious partners to develop, build and support social prescribing initiatives within their local teams and services.”
Dr Katherine Kennet, lead author of the report and sustainability lead at RCPsych, said: "Covid-19 has shown just how damaging loneliness and isolation can be to our mental health, but social prescribing can play a big part in supporting people’s recovery as we move out of the pandemic.
“Social prescribing provides an exciting opportunity for mental health services as part of their ambition to secure the best outcomes for their patients, but it must be available as a treatment for everyone, regardless of where they live.
“It is crucial social prescribing is used to complement existing treatments and should not be used as a substitute for talking therapies or medical interventions.”
There has already been progress in expanding service provision, with NHS England exceeding their target of recruiting 1,000 link workers who work with patients to place them in social prescribing activities. However, the impact of Covid-19 means the original ambitions in the NHS Long-term Plan need to be enhanced and accelerated.
The Colleges are also jointly calling for commissioners to include social prescribing in community and inpatient mental health services. As well as this, both colleges are calling for programmes to be expanded beyond primary care only, as both the mental and physical health of patients stand to benefit from varied social prescribing schemes.
Social prescribing projects supported by RCOT members include The Recovery Learning Community in Devon, which has partnered with NHS Social prescribers and a community art gallery to provide a local space to support the mental health and overall wellbeing of service users. By focusing on the relationship between the arts and wellbeing, and on small-scale projects, the service promotes personal recovery journeys and collaboration, regularly welcoming and supporting new members with a range of arts and craft activity. Other projects supported by RCOT members include weekly community gardening sessions for people with limited access to outdoor spaces of their own, and working with local Adult Education providers to deliver activities such as cooking and pottery to support mental health rehabilitation in the community.