Roundtable discussion
In November 2019, the RACGP and Consumers Health Forum, in partnership with the NHMRC Partnership Centre for Health System Sustainability, held a roundtable discussion on social prescribing. Social prescribing is ‘a means of enabling GPs, nurses and other primary care professionals to refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services’.
Social prescribing could provide a valuable addition to the existing range of healthcare options in Australia. However, to date, the adoption of social prescribing as an organised program of support has been limited.
This report is the outcome of that roundtable. It outlines the arguments for a strategic and systematic approach to incorporating social prescribing into the Australian healthcare system, starting in primary care. The report’s recommendations outline a range of approaches to support system changes and promote social prescribing in Australia.