Cultural social prescribing
What is cultural social prescribing?
One of the Mayor’s key ambitions is to help more Londoners in vulnerable or deprived communities to improve their health and wellbeing through social prescribing.
Sometimes called community referral, social prescribing is about helping people find ways to improve their health and wellbeing by linking them up with what’s going on in their local area.
We've brought together partners from across the health and care services, as well as the voluntary and community sector to ensure social prescribing continues to grow and offers the tailored, localised support that Londoners want.
The benefits of cultural social prescribing
One of the Mayor’s key ambitions is to help more Londoners in vulnerable or deprived communities to improve their health and wellbeing through social prescribing.
Sometimes called community referral, social prescribing is about helping people find ways to improve their health and wellbeing by linking them up with what’s going on in their local area.
We've brought together partners from across the health and care services, as well as the voluntary and community sector to ensure social prescribing continues to grow and offers the tailored, localised support that Londoners want.
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Supported projects
We commission and support several projects and networks which aim to improve the social prescribing of arts and culture in London. These include:
- Healthy London Partnerships Social Prescribing Accelerator (Southwark and Merton)
Six arts and cultural organisations are running pilot programmes to help improve people’s mental health and wellbeing. Find out more. - London Community Response Hubs – Impact Research
We commissioned a study to assess the impact, potential and challenges of Community Response Hubs which sprang up during the pandemic. Find out more. - Workforce Development
We funded a pilot project to explore and test new approaches and ways of working for the three professional groups involved in social prescribing to arts and culture. Led by Performing Medicine. Find out more.
Read how the Mayor supports social prescribing in other areas .
Useful resources
Arts and Culture: social prescribing myth-buster guide
We've teamed up with the charity London Arts in Health to produce the Arts and Culture: social prescribing myth-buster guide.
The guide sets out how culture and creativity can boost our mental health and improve our wellbeing. It also gives grassroots organisations all they need to explain social prescribing and culture's importance to London's recovery. The guide website has almost 5,000 views and the myth buster downloaded 1,000 times.
Case studies
- Recent research by Nikki Crane and Associates looks at the challenges and opportunities of arts and cultural social prescribing in London. Read the blog
- Culture as Cure – insights into the work by Free Space Project and Entelechy Arts. Read the blog.
Partners and useful links
- Arts & Health Hub
- Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance
- Dulwich Picture Gallery - health-led art commissions
- Flourishing Lives – a blueprint for excellence in services for older people
- London Arts in Health Forum
- London Plus - Social Prescribing Network
- National Academy for Social Prescribing
- National Centre for Creative Health
- Outside Edge Theatre Company
- Prescribe Arts Platform
- Thriving Communities Fund | Arts Council England
Get Involved
To find out more about the cultural social prescribing programme and networks, and how you might get involved, please do get in touch at [email protected], stating ‘FAO Creative Health and Wellbeing team’.
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