Table 1 Overview of studies and reports included in the review
First author and year | Type | Study design | Qualitative data collection tools | Objectives | Participants in qualitative research | Intervention description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dayson 2013 [26] | Evaluation report | Qualitative study | Interviews | To identify emerging lessons from the implementation and operation of the Rotherham SP programme | Service users, public sector stakeholders, project staff, voluntary and community organisations | General Practitioners identify and refer primary care patients with complex long-term conditions and carers of case-managed patients to a navigator who assesses the non-clinical support needs of patients and carers before referring them to appropriate services in the voluntary and community sector |
Friedli 2012 [23] | Evaluation report | Mixed methods study | Interviews | To build local evidence of the benefits of SP for patients and health professionals and to identify operational issues and solutions in running a practice based scheme | Service users, general healthcare professionals, navigators | General practice staff identifies and refers suitable patients to a navigator who assesses the psychosocial needs of patients and refer them to appropriate sources of support in the third sector |
The Health Foundation 2015 [24] | Evaluation report | Mixed methods study | Interviews | To fill the gaps in the existing evidence base | Service users, navigators, GPs, community organisations, staff from City and Hackney CCG | General practice staff identifies and refer patients to a navigator employed by Family Action (FA). The navigator assesses the individuals’ needs to refer them to appropriate non-clinical community services delivered by 85 statutory and voluntary groups |
Age UK nd [25] | Evaluation report | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | General Practitioners refer patients to local Age UK teams who assess the psychosocial needs of service users and refer them to appropriate services provided by Age UK |
ERS Research and Consultancy2013 [21] | Evaluation report | Mixed methods study | Interviews | To assess the impact and achievements of the Social Prescription programme in Newcastle and to document lessons learned to inform further practice | Service users, healthcare practitioners, members of the steering group | Healthcare professionals refer patients with psychosocial needs to one of the five collaborating Linkwork Organisations (Age UK, HealthWorks, Newcastle Carers, Search, and West End Befrienders). Link worker from the Linkwork organisation assess the non-clinical needs of referred patients and either refer them to activities provided by them or refer them to other activities in the third sector to meet their non-clinical needs. |
Farenden 2015 [22] | Evaluation report | Mixed methods study | Semi-structured telephone interviews and in-depth telephone interviews | 1. Assess the impact of the pilot, for patients, volunteers, and General Practitioners 2. Analyse costs-benefits and social value 3. Outline key lessons, challenges, and successes 4. Discuss opportunities and risks 5. Present a business case with options for a future model | Service user, General Practitioners, practice manager | General Practitioners identify and refer patients with psychosocial needs to a navigator who assesses the psychosocial needs of patients and refers them to activities and services in the third sector. Six appointments of 45Â min are offered to a referred patient. Once a patient is referred to an activity, the navigator follows-up the process, and if needed, offers further support. Navigators are volunteers with a background in helping people to meet their social or support needs. |
Brandling 2011 [20] | Evaluation report | Mixed methods study | Semi-structured interviews, notes of navigators’ reflective diaries | 1. To measure the impact on individuals’ mental wellbeing and specific issues identified at assessment 2. To assess user satisfaction with the social prescribing service 3. To understand the nature of engagement with a ‘New Routes’ service from different stakeholder perspectives 4. To provide case studies of New Routes that illustrate the type of work being conducted 5. To use research findings as they emerge to inform the conduct of the Social Prescribing service during the service development and research period 6. To use research findings as they emerge to inform the conduct and sustainability of the New Routes service | Patients, navigators, GPs | Healthcare professionals refer patients with social disengagement or low mood leading to a loss of connection to other people and the community, to the Social Prescribing programme (New Routes). Navigators assess patients’ non-medical needs in a one-hour appointment and connect them with appropriate sources of support in the third sector. |
Polley 2016 [19] | Conference paper | Qualitative survey, discussions in mixed stakeholder groups | NA | The report provides a summary of the emerging themes of the pre-conference survey and discussions from the day | Relevant stakeholders | NA |