Although community based group programs have been around for a long time, the idea of a formal referral pathway from 1) a GP or other primary care health professional to 2) a link worker with whom the individual co-designs their social prescription to 3) a community group program, is relatively new. Much of the research on social prescribing has emerged from the United Kingdom.

Research evidence shows that:

• The most common examples of social prescribing are to creative arts groups[1], exercise groups[2], and adult education courses[3].
• It does not appear to matter what type of group, the important thing is that the individual chooses a group activity that suits them[4].
• Research shows that people who participate in social prescribing experience a range of benefits including decreased loneliness, depression and anxiety, increased social support and wellbeing[5].
• Social prescribing is likely to be successful when there is a sustained and flexible relationship between the individual and the link worker, and a strong and vibrant voluntary and community sector[6].
• Some of the research conducted so far has methodological limitations such as small sample sizes, and a lack of control or comparison group (that did not receive social prescribing)[7].
• Due to a lack of a theoretical model, it is also unclear how social prescribing works.

A group of psychologists from the University of QLD, Australian National University, and Nottingham Trent University in the UK are conducting a 3-year research project to evaluate the Mt Gravatt social prescribing scheme.

We plan to answer 2 key questions:

1. How does social prescribing help participants?
2. How does social prescribing benefit communities in ways that ensure their sustainability over time?