“Social Prescribing” Strategy Replaces Medicine with an Art Prescription

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Art museum (Photo: Ysbrand Cosijn via Shutterstock)

The definition of “doctor’s orders” is about to be rewritten in the United Kingdom. Thanks to a new government scheme, general practitioners across the country will advise patients to absorb fewer pills and syrups and more art and culture.

Called “social prescribing,” this approach aims to highlight and illustrate the benefits of art-inspired, therapeutic treatment for a range of ailments and afflictions. “It’s scientifically proven,” health secretary Matt Hancock says, “[that] access to the arts and social activities improves people’s mental and physical health. It makes us happier and healthier.”

So, what “social prescriptions” can patients expect? In addition to hands-on activities like art classes and music lessons, this proposal will send people to museums, theaters, and other cultural hubs that foster “personal creativity.” In any case, the prescription is personalized, so the dosage and destination depends entirely on the individual’s interests.

This ambitious approach is part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s “Loneliness Strategy.” According to British Prime Minister Theresa May, this initiative calls for cultural and community-based activities that will holistically combat “one of the greatest public health challenges of our time.”

While the social prescribing plan is still in its early stages, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport predicts it will be on its feet by 2023.