Social Prescribing Approaches for Migrants: Call for Evidence

Public Health England is conducting an evidence review on social prescribing approaches for migrant populations in England in collaboration with University College London (UCL) and International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Social prescribing is a major component of the NHS England Long Term Plan and Universal Personalised Care. It is defined by the NHS as a method by which referrals from primary care professionals and local agencies, as well as self-referrals, are made to link workers, who in turn connect individuals with community, voluntary, statutory and other sector services intended to improve holistic health and wellbeing.

Social prescribing models can include:

• direct referrals from primary health care, social care or local agencies made to link workers, facilitators, coordinators and navigators in the UK, who in turn assist individuals in reaching services and activities
• self-referral to link workers, facilitators, coordinators and navigators in the UK, who in turn assist individuals in reaching services and activities
• signposting from health care, social care or local agencies to services and activities

Migrant populations with no recourse to public funds are at greater risk of experiencing social exclusion and marginalisation. The definition of social prescribing may encompass directing an individual to a greater range of services and activities compared to those traditionally prescribed for the general population. This could include links to services providing food security, legal advice, financial advice, housing support, employment assistance and language services to address the upstream social determinants of health and wellbeing.

To complement an ongoing literature review, Public Health England (PHE) is inviting stakeholders to submit research data or reports (see details below for the formats that will be accepted) on 2 key areas to inform the review:

1. Collations of migrants’ lived experiences after a social prescribing referral and its impact on their physical and mental health and wellbeing and changes in healthcare utilisation (in the UK only).
2. Effectiveness of current examples of social prescribing models for migrants and their impact on their physical and mental health and wellbeing and changes in healthcare utilisation (in the UK, as well as health service delivery models in other EU and EEA countries that might inform provision in England).

They would like:

• information published between 1 January 2000 and 1 May 2020
• unpublished information related to research carried out between 1 January 2000 and 1 May 2020, including any ongoing research
• reports that summarise or collate migrants’ lived experiences, for example, organisational reports or internal evaluations of projects or services (the views, experiences and opinions of individual professionals, researchers, commentators or patients will not be included, however)

They are especially interested in the following outcomes for key area 2:

• improved self-esteem and confidence
• greater sense of control and empowerment
• reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression
• improved knowledge and skills
• improved social connectivity

Please email [email protected] with any relevant information by 5:30pm on Friday 30 October 2020.

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