Social Prescribing Day: RACGP calls for community connection to be treated as essential healthcare

With Australia facing a growing epidemic of loneliness and social isolation, the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) is calling for social prescribing to be recognised as an essential part of modern healthcare, 

Loneliness and social isolation affect one in three Australian adults and two in five young people, with evidence showing the health impact is worse than smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It is now recognised as an independent risk factor for many chronic, noncommunicable diseases and is linked to an estimated 870,000 deaths globally each year, the equivalent of the population of Adelaide, or nearly nine MCGs, lost annually to this silent social epidemic. 

Dr Kuljit Singh, Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Social Prescribing, said Social Prescribing Day highlights the urgent need to address social connection as a core determinant of health. 

“GPs don’t just treat disease, we care for people within the context of their lives,” she said. 

“Loneliness, isolation, financial stress and lack of community connection all have profound impacts on physical and mental health. Social prescribing helps address these issues by recognising community connection as part of the treatment.” 

Social Prescribing Day coincides with major international progress following last year’s call to action from the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Connection. This includes the launch of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Social Prescribing Policy and Development, in partnership with the UK’s National Academy of Social Prescribing, formally recognising social prescribing as a key health system response. 

“This global momentum reinforces what GPs already know – health is physical, mental and social,” Dr Singh said. “To deliver truly comprehensive care, we must address all three.” 

The RACGP says tackling loneliness must start with systematically identifying and addressing social determinants of health, which account for an estimated 30–55% of health outcomes. 

“General practice can’t respond to unmet social need if we don’t routinely identify it,” Dr Singh said. 

The RACGP is calling for medical software systems to embed social determinants of health from initial patient registration and throughout ongoing care, including: 

• social inclusion, isolation and loneliness 

• financial, housing and transport security 

• food security and safety at home 

• family and relationship supports 

• employment, education and work status 

• stress levels and physical activity. 

Validated tools such as the UCLA Loneliness Scale could be integrated into everyday practice workflows, enabling GPs to better understand patients’ lived circumstances and deliver care that reflects “what matters” to them. 

This year’s Social Prescribing Day theme, “Wellbeing through community connections”, reinforces the role of community as a powerful health intervention. 

The RACGP encourages both clinicians and patients to engage with social prescribing in practical ways, including: 

• joining or referring to local walking, running or cycling groups such as Parkrun or Neighbourly Ride 

• exploring shared medical appointments, which build health literacy, peer support and social connection 

• strengthening partnerships with community and aged care organisations that support patients beyond the clinic. 

“Activities involving movement, nature, arts, culture, education and heritage are not extras, they are evidence-based interventions,” Dr Singh said. 

“Social prescribing is not a ‘nice to have’. It is a must have if we are to curb the rise of chronic physical, mental and social illness affecting Australians and our communities.” 

On Social Prescribing Day, the RACGP is calling on governments, health system leaders and digital health providers to invest in the structures that allow social prescribing to be embedded in routine care. 

“Recognising community connection as healthcare is a critical step toward a healthier, more connected and more resilient Australia,” Dr Singh said.