#What is Social Prescribing?

Moving from “What’s the matter with you?” to asking, “What matters to you?

Social Prescribing is a holistic approach to healthcare that brings together the social and medical models of health and wellness. It provides a formal pathway for health providers to address the diverse determinants of health, using the familiar and trusted process of writing a prescription.

Social prescribing bridges the gap between clinical and social care by referring patients to local, non-clinical services that are chosen according to the client’s interests, goals, and gifts. It allows doctors, nurse practitioners, and interprofessional health providers to formally refer patients to community-based programs. It empowers clients to improve their health by developing new skills, participating in meaningful activities, and becoming more connected to their communities. What does a social prescription look like? It could be participating in an exercise group, receiving a Good Food Box to support food security, taking an art or dance class, joining a bereavement network, getting one’s hands dirty in a community garden, exploring a local hiking trail with a group of peers, volunteering to visit older adults in the communities and much more.

Health equity is a cornerstone of effective social prescribing. Simply referring a client to a recreational program or encouraging them to visit an art gallery is not enough. Successfully implementing a social prescribing program means removing the barriers clients experience to doing these things. These barriers may be economic, geographical, interpersonal, or psychological. Social prescribing is about listening deeply, providing necessary supports, and empowering people to be co-creators in improving their own health and wellbeing.

Image of two people seated and talking

NEW RESOURCE: Online Training Modules

To help organizations implement social prescribing, we've created health equity-focused, online Social Prescribing training modules designed for healthcare teams interested in starting or improving their social prescribing process.

Click Here for More Information
Responding to the Social Determinants of Health and an Epidemic of Social Isolation

For the Alliance, transformative change in people- and community-centred care, health equity, and community vitality have always been guiding principles according to our Model of Health and Wellbeing (MHWB). Ensuring the best possible health and wellbeing of everyone in Ontario is a key aspect of our foundational living document: the Health Equity Charter.

Beginning in the 1960s and 1970s, well before social prescribing, Alliance members championed these values through their strong focus on the social determinants of health in their community development initiatives and social programs. We have seen how these social factors affecting health – income, employment, self-confidence, housing, nutrition, education, the environment – all play vital roles in people’s overall wellbeing.

Increasingly, studies are recognizing social isolation and loneliness as significant risk factors that affect people’s physical and mental health. Public health measures during COVID-19, such as restrictions on gathering with friends and closures of community spaces, have been necessary to control the pandemic, but they have had unintended consequences. In two 2020 Angus Reid studies, a third of the population in Canada reported experiences of loneliness and social isolation, and half reported a decline in their mental health since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This mental toll has continued into 2021, where recent research published by The Public Health Agency of Canada has shown that the number of Canadians with major depressive disorder has more than doubled. And more concerning, people reporting a weak sense of community belonging were 10 times more likely to screen positive for depression.

On the other hand, having strong social ties in your community and being actively engaged in community-based programs contributes to increased self-esteem. Developing expertise through cultivating new skills and hobbies also gives people the chance to feel a steady improvement in their lives. By integrating social support and care across the health system, we can help people safely reconnect to their communities and reverse some of the health impacts of the pandemic.

#How Does Social Prescribing Work?

Social prescribing is a specially structured way of referring people to a range of local, non-clinical services. It complements clinical treatments and seeks to address people’s social needs through community partnerships that align with clients’ interests and goals. As an asset-based approach, social prescribing recognizes people as not just patients with needs, but as community members with gifts to share. It supports participating clients as they engage with and give back to their communities. The goal of integrated healthcare and social prescribing is to go beyond treating illness to focus on advancing wellness.

Social prescribing may look differently depending on the community, their local needs and capacity. Five essential components have emerged as the foundation of an impactful model of social prescribing: the individual or client, the prescriber, the navigator, the social prescriptions, and the data pathway.

The 5 Key Components of Social Prescribing at a Glance

Social prescribing is centred on the client, an individual with social and medical needs, as well as interests, goals, and gifts (such as skills or their own resources).

The prescriber, a healthcare provider with a trusted relationship with a client, is key to leveraging healthcare appointments as an opportunity to identify underlying non-medical issues and make a social prescribing referral.

The social prescribing navigator catches the referral and, connects the client to appropriate resources based on self-identified interests and needs, and supports their journey to full wellbeing.

Social prescriptions can include a diverse range of non-clinical interventions, such as educational classes, food subsidies, housing navigation and culture engagement, peer-run social groups, and nature-based activities. These prescriptions are most powerful when they include an invitation for clients to engage, co-create, and give back to their community.

Finally, a data tracking pathway follows the client’s journey throughout the social prescribing process. This enables the integration of meaningful data and lessons learned in real time to enhance the quality of care delivery and monitor outcomes.

Watch this introductory video about Social Prescribing :

Social prescribing has gained widespread recognition in the UK, with prominent figures in their healthcare system pioneering the change. Hear from the “godmother of social prescribing in the UK” – General Practitioner Dr. Marie Anne Essam in the video below about her experiences with social prescribing and how she suggests healthcare providers can get involved:

 

Watch the full Summit Preview Keynote: What is Social Prescribing? webinar here Rx: Community: Research pilot on Social Prescribing

Rx: Community - Social Prescribing in Ontario

#September 2018

This marked the launch of an exciting chapter at Alliance as we initiated a first-of-its-kind pilot project in Ontario called Rx: Community – Social Prescribing. As we learned about the core values of social prescribing, we realized that the Alliance shared the same values on which social prescribing operates from. Both our organization and this model of care apply a comprehensive approach to health and wellness, that is, seeing health as grounded in community and recognizing the importance of empowering clients to act as partners in their care.

To help advance Rx:Community’s success, it was important that we form key partnerships with well-experienced professionals within the field of social prescription. We successfully partnered with mentors from the UK - Herts Valley Clinical Commissioning Group (link is external), experienced in social prescribing navigation, and Altogether Better (link is external), an organization with expertise in co-creation between primary care staff and clients. 

We began Rx: Community with an invitation to our member centers for an introductory session in order to learn how their work can align with the principles of social prescribing. From this session, 11 of our members, representing a diverse mix of urban, rural, Northern, and francophone communities, expressed interest in implementing social prescribing in their day-to-day practices. One of the unique features of our pilot program was the application of an equity-based lens in our approach to providing care. We ensured that material support was provided for our clients through food programs, housing, etc., as well as prescribing social prescribing champions – clients who co-designed and led programs for other clients to attend. From the lovely tunes of orchestra harmonies to delectable tastes of locally grown fresh produce, Rx:Community has offered a multitude of care treatments through social interventions and community referrals from our participating member centers. A key takeaway from this pilot project is recognizing that social prescribing may look different in different communities, depending on local needs and capacity.

    

Positive impacts on individuals, healthcare providers, and system integration

Rx:Community used a combination of different approaches to examine how social prescribing was implemented. Through client and provider surveys, focus groups, and health records, we tracked the impact of our work to understand how social prescription affected clients’ sense of wellbeing, health outcomes, and use of the health system. Additionally, we observed the positive effects of social prescribing on the prescribers’ work and confidence as a result of their client’s positive feedback. During the year-long pilot, over 1,100 clients across 11 CHCs were provided a total of nearly 3,300 social prescriptions. Seventy-one of the clients who received social prescriptions were supported to become volunteer Health Champions who co-created and delivered social activities and programs.

Finding #1: Clients reported overall improvements to their mental health and a greater capacity to self-manage their health, as well as decreased loneliness and an increased sense of connectedness and belonging. Finding #2: Healthcare providers find social prescribing useful for improving client wellbeing and decreasing repeat visits. They recognized the value of the navigator role, and, where it was not in place, they felt a need for more support. Finding #3: Social prescribing enabled deeper integration between clinical care, interprofessional teams, and social support; and it enhanced the capacity of the community through co-creation.

#What’s next?

Social prescribing is gaining momentum in Canada among healthcare providers, community partners, researchers, funders, and policymakers. The wide interest and promising findings from Rx: Community show that we are ready to scale social prescribing broadly to support a more integrated health system and build more connected communities.

We recommend that:

Policymakers, funders, and Ontario Health Teams can create fertile ground for social prescribing by investing in primary health care and social supports. They can further advance social prescribing initiatives with direct financial, material, and/or policy support. Health care, cross-sectoral, and social support organizations can build and strengthen local partnerships, adapt social prescribing to the needs and assets of their communities, embrace culture change, and develop strategies for data collection and use. Researchers and academic institutions can contribute screening and evaluation tools, conduct data analysis, and provide research support to health care and social support organizations.

SP client outcome   

Watch this introductory video on social prescribing:

Read the final report:

Rx: Community - Social Prescribing in Ontario Final Report, March 2020 (link is external) (+ COVID-19 Letter (link is external)) Rx: Communauté - Rapport final sur la Prescription Sociale en Ontario, Mars 2020  (link is external)(+ COVID-19 lettre (link is external))

Ongoing Projects

Even though our research pilot has concluded, the work is continuing in several ongoing projects:

#Black-Focused Social Prescribing Project

The Alliance is supporting a Black-Focused Social Prescribing Project (BFSP) with the Black Health Committee and Balsam Foundation to provide culturally competent programs for Black families and their communities. Across four Black-led community health centres in Ontario, this project is developing a social prescribing model grounded in Afrocentric values and principles to holistically improve Black health and wellbeing. Black-focused social prescribing is culturally appropriate, relevant and is rooted in the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa which are:

  • Umoja (Unity)
  • Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
  • Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)
  • Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
  • Nia (Purpose)
  • Kuumba (Creativity)
  • Imani (Faith)
#Links2Wellbeing project  

Partnering with the Older Adults Centres’ Association of Ontario, the Links2Wellbeing (L2W) project offers social prescribing for older adults. Through the Social Prescribing Community Quilt website, we collected stories from health providers, staff, volunteers, and clients to gain insight into their experience of social prescribing and its impacts.  The L2W project team has worked with health providers across Ontario to build a sustainable formal framework for social prescribing, referring socially isolated older adults to a range of tailored, non-clinical services available through their local Senior Active Living Centre (SALC). 

More information can be found here: https://www.socialprescribingquilt.com

#Social Prescribing for Better Mental Health (Concluded)

Social Prescribing for Better Mental Health was an eighteen-month project funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Its goal was to deliver initiatives to support people whose mental health has been most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

These initiatives aimed to promote mental health, prevent mental illness, and build the capacity to address new and complex needs emerging from the pandemic.  

The Social Prescribing for Better Mental Health project aimed to enhance our capacity to provide improved mental health in communities, particularly for populations that face barriers, through engagement, training, proactive identification, mental health navigation structures, and the expansion of local co-created programs.  

In the Media
Presentations and Webinars

          -- Follow-up webinar: Social Prescribing in Practice, June 17, 2020 - Slides(link is external) | Recording(link is external)

          -- Follow-up webinar: Social Prescribing in Research, June 25, 2020 - Slides(link is external) | Recording(link is external) Webinar: Arts on

To learn more or join our Communities of Practice

#Join a Communities of Practice

Social prescribing is a practice dedicated to building up communities and fostering connections between like-minded people. In much the same way, the people who implement social prescribing initiatives, advocate for the social prescribing movement, or just want to deepen their understanding of social prescribing need a space to convene and learn from each other. With this need in mind, the Alliance is developing two communities of practice (CoPs) to unite people on national and provincial levels.

#Ontario Social Prescribing Community of Practice

The Ontario Social Prescribing Community of Practice at the provincial level facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration and connections between people who implement social prescribing across Ontario. Joining this community will help you learn the social prescribing initiatives being put into motion in areas closer to you. Co-hosted by the Alliance for Healthier Communities and the Older Adult Centres Association of Ontario, the Ontario Social Prescribing CoP is an excellent opportunity to meet, share lessons learned and highlight promising practices from your projects while learning from others.

Members meet bi-monthly, every third Thursday, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. EST. Meetings for this CoP are not recorded, and summary notes of each meeting are provided for all members.

Please Register

#Resource and Contact Sharing

The Ontario Social Prescribing CoP has a dedicated Google Drive resource hub and Google Group email listserv to provide more resources and facilitate contact between CoP members.

#The Canadian Social Prescribing Exchange

Join the Canadian Social Prescribing Exchange to connect and learn! This meeting is for all individuals and organizations in Canada interested in social prescribing. Participants may include those involved in similar or intersecting practices and those not currently engaged in social prescribing but who would like to learn more. Social prescribing implementers and practitioners are also welcome to participate and network. In the Canadian Social Prescribing Exchange, we will explore and discuss social prescribing developments in Canada, and attendees will have the opportunity for topic-specific networking and collaboration.

Please register

#The Canadian Social Prescribing Community of Practice for Practitioners

This Community of Practice (CoP) registration form is intended for social prescribing practitioners who are actively involved in implementing and delivering social prescribing services across Canada. By joining this CoP, registrants will engage with fellow practitioners to share insights, exchange best practices, and collaborate on overcoming challenges. The community aims to foster professional development, enhance expertise, and support ongoing learning and innovation in implementing social prescribing.

Please register

#If you would like to learn more, please contact: 

Alliance for Healthier Communities

socialprescribing@allianceon.org

Key Resources
Black-Focused Social Prescribing Report, June 2025 (English | French)
Social Prescribing in Canada | 2025 Report, Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing, March 2025 (English | French)
Links2Wellbeing Report, October 2024
Social Prescribing for Better Mental Health Report, September 2024
Social Prescribing Link Workers Work!, September 2024
At-a-glance – Black-focused social prescribing:  the importance of an Afrocentric approach, June 2024
Magic of Social Prescribing, May 2024
Social Prescribing Guidebook for Team-based Primary Care Providers in Ontario(link is external), September 2020
Social Prescribing Infographic, May 17, 2022 ( English | French )
Wheel of Life
Wheel of Life, a tool for exploring the social determinants of health as part of the full assessment with a client, as part of the Alliance Black Focused Social Prescribing project, June, 2023.
Links2Wellbeing (L2W) is a collaboration between the Alliance and the Older Adults Centres' Association of Ontario. It streamlines healthcare provider referrals to Seniors Active Living Centre programs, promoting cross-sector partnerships and healthcare-social support system integration. Here is a data summary from year 2 of the project.

Social Prescribing Videos

  • Cultivating Connection: Social Prescribing in Ontario
  • Cultivating Connections: Social Prescribing in Ontario, Seaway Valley Community Health Centre
  • Social Prescribing in Ontario: Lakeshore Community Nurse Practitioner-led Clinic
  • Cultivating Connections: Social Prescribing in Ontario, Regent Park Social Prescribing
  • Cultivating Connections: Social Prescribing in Ontario, TAIBU Community Health Centre

         You can watch them at this link. 

A toolkit on how to implement Social Prescribing, World Health Organization, May 20, 2022
Social Prescribing Resource for Health Professionals, Centre for Effective Practice, November 2022
Poster: Social Prescribing as a tool for building climate resilience, OPHA Fall Forum, November 23, 2019
Fact Sheet: Spotlight on Reducing Social Isolation
International: Social prescribing stimulus paper by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Consumer Health Forum of Australia, November 2019
More links
  1. Alliance Social Prescribing and Health Promotion Professional Learning Event
  2. Social Prescribing Conference 2023 | Cultivating Connections: Pathways to Wellbeing
  3. Group portal
  4. Latest newsletter