Webinar: Introducing the National Centre for Social Prescribing Data and Analysis

Learn about the latest social prescribing research in our recent webinar with the National Academy for Social Prescribing.

27 October 2025

A laptop keyboard, pens, paper and headphones are scattered on a desk.

Introduction

Social prescribing has been successfully rolled out across England since 2019, with millions of people referred to Link Workers and a growing evidence base to show the positive impact. As the NHS enters a new phase, it will be crucial to use data and evidence to develop and target social prescribing services further, evaluate the benefits and inform investment.

Our team at the Social Biobehavioural Research Group at UCL have formed a partnership with the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) to develop a National Centre for Social Prescribing Data and Analysis. The partnership combines NASP’s reach into communities and expertise in policy development and advocacy with UCL’s world leading research and analysis capability.

About this event

Our first Centre webinar took place on Tuesday 21st October. The focus was reviewing major developments in social prescribing research from the past year. This included discussion of:

  • How social prescribing relates to the NHS 10 year plan and in particular the implementation of Neighbourhood Health
  • Growing awareness of social prescribing amongst the public
  • The scale of social prescribing referrals and its ability to reach people from deprived areas 
  • Examples of large clinical trials currently underway across England and internationally
  • New research to calculate the health economics of social prescribing
  • Efforts to improve policy and practice, including through the Social Prescribing Youth Network
  • Action needed to further enhance data quality and advance the evidence base

“The NHS target was that in the first four years, 900,000 people would be referred. We saw 5.6 million referrals in that time — so six times as many as actually was initially predicted. This shows that social prescribing is a much bigger service than we’d previously recognised or potentially even realised. But also that the same amount of money had actually been reaching far more people than the NHS had anticipated”. 

— Daisy Fancourt, Professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology

“There are some really specific commitments within the 10 Year Plan which are relevant to social prescribing, such as expanding Neighbourhood Teams and also making sure that patients with complex needs have a holistic care and support plan — which is an important function of Link Workers. So we are likely to see social prescribing grow, and if and when that does happen, we need the very best data and evidence to drive that growth and to make sure social prescribing is reaching the right people”. 

— Charlotte Osborn-Forde, CEO of NASP

A recording of the webinar is now available to watch below and you can also view the presentation slides here.