Delivery of financial well-being advice within the context of social prescribing

Introduction

The disparity between income and rising prices has pushed many households across the UK into poverty. Social prescribing has the potential to support individuals in improving their financial well-being and addressing socioeconomic factors that negatively impact health and well-being. However, little is currently known about the provision of such support within the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Methods

A scoping review examined the literature relating to financial well-being advice and support delivered within the context of social prescribing in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Keywords were combined into search strings using Boolean operators to search five electronic databases between 04/02/2025 and 10/02/25.

Results

Twenty-eight articles were included in the review: 15 x peer-reviewed articles and 13 x grey literature articles.

Discussion

From the literature, three models of financial well-being advice and support delivery were identified within social prescribing: social prescribing practitioner-led, specialist advisor-led, and a wraparound model. Most articles related to financial well-being advice and support targeted at welfare benefits, debt and legal issues, delivered by specialist advisors within healthcare settings. The delivery of this support was associated with a number of positive outcomes for patients and healthcare staff, and several strategies were identified to support its efficacy. Few articles reported on the other models. The provision of social prescribing practitioner-led support negatively impacted capacity and was provided out of necessity, due to a lack of availability of specialist advisors in the community. While there is potential for social prescribing to play a more integral role in the delivery of financial well-being advice and support, further research is required to ensure the efficacious employment of funding and delivery, which may differ across nations and regions.

Key messages

• Social prescribing can play an integral role in the delivery of financial well-being advice and support, but further research is required to ensure efficacious funding and delivery.

• The delivery of final well-being advice and support by specialist advisors in healthcare settings was associated with positive outcomes for staff and patients.