This month’s Future of Primary Care webinar with Sir Sam Everington focussed on addressing the growing demand on the NHS by shifting towards a model of care centred on social prescribing. Dr Everington, a GP within the Bromley by Bow Centre, highlighted the urgent need to empower patients to take control of their own health by addressing the root causes of illness—many of which are social and environmental.

Dr Everington described how healthcare professionals refer patients to community services and activities such as exercise groups, art classes, or community sessions. This approach seeks to treat the patient holistically, recognising that factors such as loneliness, housing, employment, and diet can impact one's physical and mental well-being.

Dr Mohit Venkataram, NELFT Deputy CEO, closed the webinar by saying:

‘It has been fabulous to hear you talk about the importance of social prescribing and how important it is conveying the power back to the people, who genuinely need to own the solutions to their health.’

By rethinking primary care through social prescribing, the session described how innovative strategies could transform the future of healthcare in the UK, putting people, not just their symptoms, at the heart of care.

Watch the webinar recording here.

Click here to register for the next webinar, with NHS London’s Regional Director, Caroline Clarke.