When doctors reach for their prescription pad, most patients expect to receive a jar of pills or a bottle of ointment. Few think they will be referred to a gym or a volunteering scheme. But more and more doctors are dishing out these “social” prescriptions.... Tango classes, ukulele lessons: the rise of “social prescriptions”, 'The Economist', 15 February
Social-prescribing schemes, in which doctors refer patients to non-medical treatments, are becoming more numerous in the UK. I think it's an encouraging trend. Just as crime is not solely a matter for the police, nor education solely a matter for schools, so health is not solely a matter for the medical profession. I hope social prescribing presages a wider move from government funding of institutions to funding for outcomes. I've long argued that funding for outcomes is going to encourage more imaginative solutions to our complex social and environmental problems than the current focus on the structures and funding of government agencies. And more efficiency:
One review of studies on social prescribing showed that, on average, it was associated with a 28% fall in GP visits and a 24% drop in attendance at emergency wards.
For more on applying the Social Policy Bond principle to health, see here. For more on applying the principle to crime see here, and to education, see here. The Social Policy Bonds home page is here.