The Social Prescribing Standard will enable the sharing and recording of information for the whole patient journey, from initial referral, throughout the period of social prescribing and the message back to the referrer and GP at its conclusion.

The standard supports the recording and sharing of information including: 

• The information required to support the conversations between the link worker and the person
• Information to support people, show their healthcare is joined up and avoid them having to retell their story multiple times 
• Information that can be shared with the person themselves, their family or carer 
• Summary information back to the referrer and GP for the person’s overall record
• Information for secondary uses, e.g. for understanding the scale and effectiveness of social prescribing services, planning, population health etc.

 The standard is UK wide with involvement from all four nations. It was commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement and has an important role to play in the English national drive to widen the use of social prescribing to support citizen empowerment and personalised care, as stated in the NHS Long Term Plan. 

Scope and how it works

The standard is for all models of social prescribing including those used in local authorities and voluntary organisations in social care or health. The standard has three parts:

• The referral to social prescribing (unless it’s a self-referral).
• The link worker’s record. 
• The message back to the GP and referrer (if different).