Social Prescribing in Ireland: From Ad Hoc to Universal Provision

Ireland has adopted social prescribing as part of its programme for government, and the Health Service Executive has produced a framework for social prescribing to support projects, including the formation and funding of a new type of healthcare professional, the link worker. In the first part of this chapter, we will outline the health and policy history in which social prescribing sits, and describe the journey from pilot project to national implementation. In the second part of the chapter, we will review the Irish evidence for social prescribing to date. Finally, we will discuss the practice of social prescribing in Ireland, using two projects – one rural, one urban – as case studies to demonstrate practice from design to implementation. We include a participant story to illustrate the impact social prescribing can have on a personal level.