Published On: 23 October 2024

The Race Equality Foundation, supported by the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance, has released a new report, Social Prescribing, Health Inequalities and Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic Communities, calling for more consistent and rigorous ethnicity data collection in social prescribing, a non-medical intervention that aims to address health inequalities.

The report highlights the promise of social prescribing in improving mental health, reducing emergency visits, and tackling barriers to healthcare engagement, particularly by addressing the social determinants of health. However, it underscores a significant gap in understanding its impact on Black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic communities due to inconsistent data collection and analysis.

To address these gaps, the report provides an in-depth examination of social prescribing within these communities, focusing on who is being referred, uptake rates, attrition rates, and the overall impact of these interventions. A clearer understanding of these patterns is crucial for developing effective strategies to reduce health disparities.

The report draws on case studies from Islington in London and Kirklees in Yorkshire, where data on the ethnic background of individuals referred to social prescribing, alongside other demographic factors such as gender, age, employment status, and deprivation indicators, has been collected. The findings show a higher proportion of social prescribing referrals for people from Black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic backgrounds relative to their population size. We welcomed this finding but it is one understood in the context of Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities experiencing greater deprivation, correlating with a heightened need for social prescribing.

The Kirklees data highlights that 35% of all social prescribing referrals between April and October 2023 came from individuals living in the most deprived areas. Additionally, 25% of referrals were from people who were unemployed. In Islington, mental health conditions, particularly depression and anxiety, were the most common health issues reported, reflecting broader health challenges in areas of high deprivation.

The report further reveals that many respondents left ethnicity categories unanswered, raising concerns about the public’s understanding of the importance of collecting such data; alongside inconsistencies with how ethnicity data collection occurs. For example, multiple categories were presented rather than sticking to the ethnicity categories related to the 2021 census. Without consistent and clear demographic data, it becomes challenging to evaluate how well social prescribing is serving Black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic groups.

Case studies from Camden and Ealing also demonstrated successful approaches to addressing disparities in social prescribing referrals. The key recommendations from the report emphasise:

  • the need for culturally competent healthcare

  • targeted community engagement,

  • better data analysis to ensure tailored support services.

Dr Jahan Foster Zabit notes that:

“There is a notable gap in understanding social prescribing’s impact on health inequalities, particularly for people from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic backgrounds. Our findings show that, while social prescribing is making important strides in addressing the barriers to access and engagement experienced by our communities, there remains an urgent need for tailored interventions and better demographic monitoring to ensure that social prescribing is meeting the needs of those most affected by health disparities.”

Charlotte Osborn-Forde, Chief Executive of the National Academy for Social Prescribing explains:

“This report is an important step forward in understanding more about the reach and potential of social prescribing to address health inequalities, and it is encouraging that the findings show a higher proportion of social prescribing referrals for people from Black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic backgrounds relative to their population size. If we are serious about prevention and addressing health inequalities, social prescribing could be a gamechanger – but as this report demonstrates, there is a need to keep improving research and data collection, ensuring we invest in what works.”