Challenges in escalating social prescribing where most needed

Many aspects of health cannot be addressed by health care alone—there are multiple environmental and social factors, such as loneliness, stress, safe housing, education, and income, that define people’s wellbeing. Demand for addressing non-medical issues in primary care is rising; growing ageing populations are more vulnerable to some of these issues and increasing social isolation and economic pressures are also affecting young people in many countries. Addressing these social determinants of health can be a substantial part of family medicine consultations—estimated to be 19% of appointment time in England.