For this edition of Connecting Conversations, I'm really pleased to introduce David Cowan, someone who has been part of the social prescribing movement for many years and continues to play an important role in supporting the people and teams who make personalised care a reality.
Based in Yorkshire, David works closely with Social Prescribing Link Workers and other colleagues working in personalised care roles across primary care. He is a long-standing committee member of the Social Prescribing Network and has played a key role in supporting learning and development across Yorkshire and Humber.
David is also the founder of KERA Consultancy Ltd, established in 2018, which works across health and social care to support training, development and positive change. He is a co-author and tutor on the Conexus Level 3 Social Prescribing Qualification, working with Conexus and fellow tutors to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence of those working in social prescribing and personalised care.
What particularly comes through in David's work is his belief in peer support and shared learning. He understands that quality doesn't just come from training; it grows when people have the opportunity to reflect together, share challenges and learn from one another. A perfect starting point for a Connecting Conversation.
Alongside this, David brings a strong quality improvement perspective to his work, helping teams turn learning into practical changes that improve the experience and support of patients and communities.
In this conversation, David talks about the importance of measuring outcomes in social prescribing and why it's critical to the sustainability of this approach and how it supports the development of local neighbourhood models.
I hope you enjoy the read,
Sîan
| Measuring What Matters: How Social Prescribing Can Prove Its Value |
by David Cowan
Social prescribing has become an essential part of modern healthcare, helping people address the social, emotional and practical issues that affect their health and wellbeing. But as demand for services continues to grow, one question is becoming increasingly important:
How do we prove that social prescribing really makes a difference?
For Social Prescribing Link Workers (SPLWs), changing lives is often obvious through the conversations they have every day. People become more confident, less isolated, and better able to manage their health. These stories are incredibly powerful, but today's Primary Care Networks (PCNs), commissioners and Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs) also need evidence that demonstrates measurable outcomes.
That's why understanding how to measure impact is becoming one of the most valuable skills for anyone working in social prescribing.
Looking Beyond Patient Stories
Patient testimonials are important, but they are only part of the picture. Healthcare organisations increasingly need data that shows social prescribing is helping people achieve better outcomes while making better use of NHS resources.
A good example is supporting frequent attenders in primary care.
Many Primary Care Networks use clinical system searches to identify patients who may benefit from social prescribing. This could include adults aged 50–70 living in areas of deprivation or people who have attended their GP surgery 20 or more times within the previous 12 months.
Rather than simply responding to repeated appointments, Social Prescribing Link Workers can explore the underlying reasons behind those visits. Often, the issues extend beyond medical needs and include loneliness, housing problems, financial worries, caring responsibilities or poor mental wellbeing.
By taking a person-centred approach, the Link Worker helps individuals identify their own goals and connects them with community groups, voluntary organisations and statutory services that can provide longer-term support.
The Role of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams
Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs) were first prominently conceptualized and championed in the Fuller Stocktake Report published by NHS England in May 2022. The framework has since been carried forward and embedded into current policy documents, including the Neighbourhood Health Guidelines 2025/26 and the Neighbourhood Health Framework. More patients will be discussed within an Integrated Neighbourhood Team (INT), where professionals from different organisations work together to develop coordinated support.
These multidisciplinary teams may include:
• Social Prescribing Link Workers
• GPs and practice staff
• Mental health professionals
• Housing teams
• Local authority colleagues
• Community hubs
• Reablement services
• Other voluntary and statutory partners
Working together means the right expertise is brought in at the right time, while the Social Prescribing Link Worker continues to act as the patient's key worker throughout the intervention, they are also an existing "bridgehead" between Primary Care Networks and the emerging neighbourhood structures.
This collaborative approach is becoming increasingly important as neighbourhood health models continue to develop across England.
Measuring What Really Matters
One of the most useful tools available is the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS), which measures changes in a person's wellbeing before and after support.
This provides valuable evidence that someone's wellbeing has improved.
However, wellbeing scores alone don't always tell the whole story.
The most compelling evidence is demonstrating that the original problem has actually been solved.
For example, if a patient was referred because they attended their GP surgery more than 20 times a year, success is being able to show that their attendance reduced after the social prescribing intervention.
Comparing GP or hospital attendance during the six months before and after intervention can provide clear evidence that the support has made a real difference. Access to patient records allows services to measure these changes accurately.
When wellbeing data is combined with service utilisation data, it creates a much stronger picture of impact.
It shows not only that patients feel better, but that they are using healthcare services more appropriately—something that benefits patients, GP practices and the wider healthcare system.
Building the Case for Future Investment
Integrated Neighbourhood Teams are increasingly focusing on high-intensity patient groups, including people living with frailty, COPD and those with complex long-term conditions.
In many cases, the aim is to reduce avoidable GP appointments, prevent hospital admissions and improve quality of life through coordinated, preventative support brining care closer to home.
Being able to demonstrate these outcomes is becoming essential. Historically contracts have paid for:
• appointments
• clinics
• referrals
• procedures
The new neighbourhood model is trying to pay for outcomes like:
• fewer emergency admissions
• reduced hospital attendances
• improved frailty management
• people remaining independent
• prevention
That is a major shift. Commissioners want to understand the return on investment from social prescribing, while Primary Care Networks need evidence that services are delivering meaningful improvements.
This is where good quality impact measurement becomes invaluable.
Simple outcome measures, activity data and well-written case studies together create a compelling story that demonstrates both human impact and measurable service improvements.
Why Measuring Impact Matters for Social Prescribing Link Workers
As social prescribing continues to evolve, the ability to collect, interpret and present meaningful outcome data is becoming a core professional skill.
It's no longer just about recording activity—it is about demonstrating value.
By undertaking a Social Prescribing Qualification, we can help practitioners understand how to measure outcomes in real-world ways that fit into everyday practice. From using validated wellbeing tools such as SWEMWBS to demonstrating reductions in GP attendance, reduced hospital attendances, remaining independent and supporting multidisciplinary neighbourhood working, our focus is on helping Link Workers confidently evidence the difference they make.
Because ultimately, the strongest evidence of successful social prescribing isn't simply that someone feels better—it's being able to show that the challenge they were facing has genuinely improved, whether that's fewer GP appointments, reduced hospital admissions, improved wellbeing or greater independence.
And that's exactly the kind of evidence that will help shape the future of social prescribing.
About David:
Part of the world I live: West Yorkshire
Occupation: I am Co-Founder and Managing Director of Kera Consultancy, specialising in training and development for personalised care roles, including Health Coaches and Social Prescribing Link Workers
What makes you well? Mindfulness, love, volunteering and connection with others, sailing, exercising including yoga, walking, cycling, weightlifting and resistance training.
Why is social prescribing important? It is a way to connect people to what matters to them. Mapping and understanding what is in the community take time and an understanding of how to connect people to these community-based assets. Social Prescribing can create good health.
Your favourite nature-based space: The Himalayas
Your favourite music: Hard House
Your favourite pastime: Playing golf with friends or scuba diving
If you had one wish for social prescribing what would it be? Currently, for social prescribing infrastructure to be explicitly named in neighbourhood health plans
Which one person has most influenced you and why? Nelson Mandela, for his immense sacrifice, his forgiveness and inclusivity
Any advice for others working with communities? My old manager called it 'boot leather' walk the streets get an understanding of the community, its assets and its opportunities as well as an understanding of what could divide it. Keep leaning, community is a big topic.