Social prescribing has assumed increasing dominance in policy and practice internationally, including in the UK, where it has an increasing role in addressing social needs such as isolation, and social determinants of ill-health. Although General Practitioners are perceived as key referral sources, social workers in one locality were found to play a significant role in referral. This suggests that the social work role in this context has been under-recognised and under-explored.

This study sought to explore social workers’ perceptions and experiences of social prescribing through an online survey conducted from January – June 2022. All UK social workers were eligible to participate, regardless of whether they had made referrals.

Responses (105) were collected from all UK nations. Data was analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Four key themes were generated: contended and contested boundaries; complementary spaces; delineated spaces of simplicity and complexity; social work under threat.

Participants recognised that social prescribing could provide valuable client support and could be a useful resource for social workers. However, they also expressed concerns about overlapping professional boundaries and the potential for social prescribing to encroach on social work, perceiving it as most appropriate for the delivery of support to those with ‘low-level’ needs.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

No external funding was received for this study, instead this was carried out by the researchers within their roles at the University of Hull, whose support is acknowledged.

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

Yes

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

The ethics committee of the University of Hull Faculty of Health Sciences gave ethical approval for this work.

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Yes

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

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I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

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Data produced in the present study is not available to other researchers.