Applying an equity lens to social prescribing.

Background: Social prescribing is often described as an intervention that can help reduce health inequalities yet there is little evidence exploring this. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of accessing and analysing social prescribing (SP) service user data to demonstrate the impact of SP on health inequalities.

Methods: The sample size consisted of records for 276 individuals in Site 1 and 1644 in Site 2.

The feasibility of identifying health inequalities in social prescribing referrals and declines using primary care patient records.

Background: Social prescribing (SP) is part of universal personalised care and available to everyone in the UK National Health Service. However, emerging evidence suggests access disparities in social prescribing. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using primary care records to access and analyse data on social prescribing.

How did communities in North West England respond to the COVID-19 lockdown? Findings from a diary study.

Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government and public health leaders advocated for community level responses to support vulnerable people. This activity could be planned and co-ordinated, however much was informal and developed organically. The effects on the individuals who were involved in providing and receiving informal support and implications for their communities have not been widely explored.

'A lot of small things make a difference'. Mental health and strategies of coping during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: The social and economic consequences of COVID-19 have the potential to affect individuals and populations through different pathways (e.g., bereavement, loss of social interaction).

Public perspectives of social prescribing.

Background: There is a strong national drive within the UK government and National Health Service for social prescribing. Previous research studies have mainly focused on service user perspectives and evaluating their experiences. There is limited evidence on how the general public perceive and understand what social prescribing is and how these views could influence service planning and delivery.

From fringe to centre-stage: experiences of mainstreaming health equity in a health research collaboration.

Background: Action to address the structural determinants of health inequalities is prioritized in high-level initiatives such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and many national health strategies. Yet, the focus of much local policy and practice is on behaviour change. Research shows that whilst lifestyle approaches can improve population health, at best they fail to reduce health inequalities because they fail to address upstream structural determinants of behaviour and health outcomes.

Mainstreaming public involvement in a complex research collaboration: A theory-informed evaluation.

Introduction: There is an extensive literature on public involvement (PI) in research, but this has focused primarily on experiences for researchers and public contributors and factors enabling or restricting successful involvement in specific projects. There has been less consideration of a 'whole system' approach to embedding PI across an organization from governance structures through to research projects.

Objective: To investigate how a combination of two theoretical frameworks, one focused on mainstreaming and the other conceptualizing quality, can illuminate the embedding of positive and influential PI throughout a research organization.