6707 Potential of social prescribing in a hospital environment: insights from healthcare professionals and link workers

Objectives Social Prescribing (SP) is a holistic approach to healthcare which aims to address psychosocial factors associated with social determinants of health via the intervention of link workers.¹Children and Young People (CYP) face multiple barriers in accessing SP.² An ongoing UK hospital-based pilot study is currently assessing the impact of SP on children with neurodisabilities through SP intervention. Children in the hospital from different specialties also have unmet non-medical needs. This qualitative research study examines views of unmet non-medical needs of CYP and how these can be addressed through SP, focusing on its potential effectiveness in a hospital environment. Methods Healthcare professionals and link workers who work with children and/or are directly or indirectly involved in the current pilot study were selected as participants. Data was collected via semi structure in-depth interviews (n=15) in which the following topics were explored: perspectives of unmet nonmedical needs of CYP, how the needs could be addressed through SP, potential challenges associated with implementation of a SP service and feedback on the pilot study. Inductive content analysis was used for data interpretation. Results The results revealed a range of reported unmet non-medical needs of CYP including issues related to isolation, inclusivity and accessibility, undiagnosed neurodivergence, self-management of condition, mental health, socioeconomic factors and lack of awareness of existing services. Healthcare professionals encountered challenges in signposting families to services due to unawareness, lack of time and biases surrounding their role. Link workers play a crucial role in identifying and addressing psychosocial factors contributing to family centered care, reduced caregiver burden, improved health outcomes for CYP and reduced pressures on healthcare systems. Challenges in implementing SP in a large scale were mentioned, including engagement from families and healthcare professionals, appropriate time for ending of intervention and operational issues. Conclusion SP is a valuable service that could possibly address the multifaced complex unmet nonmedical needs of CYP in the hospital, contributing to family-centred care. Further research needs to evaluate the impact of social prescribing to effectively support all children in need. References Morse, et al. Global developments in social prescribing, 2022. Hayes, et al. The impact of social prescribing on children and young people's mental health and wellbeing, 2023.