Linking Health and Community

At the margins of the European Health Forum Gastein 2025, following the successful Social Prescribing-EU project’s session on social, green, and art prescriptions for health, we caught up with Prof  Sónia Dias, Professor and Dean of the NOVA National School of Public Health, NOVA University Lisbon, and leader of the SP-EU consortium partner in Portugal.

She spoke about what makes social prescribing stand out in the crowded world of public health initiatives, why workers who link patients to the community networks matter, and what is needed to ensure the initiative’s future sustainability.

Tackling what really shapes our health

When asked what makes social prescribing unique, Sónia replied: “It’s one of the few initiatives in the health sector that really tackles the social determinants of health.”

She explained that while we often talk about how loneliness, housing, income, lifestyles and social connections shape our wellbeing, few health interventions actually address these roots. “We all know they matter,” she said, “but it’s not easy to operationalise them in practice. Social prescribing manages to do that; to bridge health and social aspects.”

Beyond that, social prescribing helps shift the focus from treating illness to keeping people healthy; that is preventing disease, improving mental wellbeing, and supporting quality of life. “We need to move away from thinking of health being only about diseases, and treatment. Social prescribing gives us a way to promote health before people fall ill.”

Co-creation instead of prescription

Through the SP-EU programme, general practitioners can refer patients to a link worker – someone who spends time getting to know the patient on a more personal level, their needs and preferences, and helps them find the right community activities or services. And perhaps this is the most transformative part of social prescribing, Sónia emphasised, “its person-centred nature”. Unlike traditional health interventions, nothing is simply handed down or “prescribed.”

“All activities are co-created with the person,” she said. “They are built around what people value, what motivates them, and what makes sense in their own lives.”

Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, social prescribing includes a conversation between the link worker and the person to understand needs, preferences, and the context someone lives in. This co-creation not only empowers individuals but also helps make interventions meaningful and sustainable.

The essential role of link workers

If social prescribing is where health meets community, link workers are the people who make that meeting possible. Sónia called them “the backbone of social prescribing”. They are the ones who design the plan together with the person, connect healthcare professionals with community organisations, and encourage participation among those who might otherwise stay away.

“From our experience, it’s often those who most need social prescribing who are least likely to join at first,” she noted. “The link worker’s role is to help them feel ready, motivated, and supported.”

Once again, she emphasised that link workers ensure that social prescribing remains people-centred and integrated within local ecosystems.

Investment, evidence, and collaboration for the future

When asked what she’d wish for the future of social prescribing, Sónia didn’t skip a beat: “Investment.” She explained: “We need to invest in strong initiatives that can be monitored and evaluated. We need evidence to support long-term integration”. Lastly, she also emphasised that success will depend on cross-sector collaboration. “It’s never just about the health sector,” she explains. “We need different ministries on board, municipalities, local communities, the third sector, civil society, and families. Because social prescribing is multisectoral by nature, it requires everyone to play a part.”

About SP-EU

SP-EU is an EU-funded initiative that aims to establish social prescribing as a scalable, cost-effective, and sustainable model of care for people in vulnerable situations. The project is assessing and tailoring SP for LGBTIQ+ individuals, refugees and first-generation immigrants, and older adults living alone through co-creation, randomised controlled trials, and qualitative research across Europe.