NHS Property Services (NHSPS) has unveiled an updated social prescribing map that highlights different sites offering community health solutions.

The organisation manages 2,700 NHS properties across England – 10% of the total health estate – and its update reveals there are currently more than 75 social prescribing sites, curated through transforming vacant space that has been underutilised in health centres nationally.

Social prescribing affords community, clinical, and non-clinical health service providers an avenue to offer high-quality healthcare while reducing stress on GP practices.

Various services are offered at designated green spaces and social prescribing hubs such as counselling, therapy, and gardening.

And, as a result of utilising these sites, many success stories have arisen, with organisations like Combat2Coffee, Age UK, and Men’s Shed making a tangible difference within their local communities.

To make these services more accessible, NHSPS has crafted an interactive social prescribing map that provides details for each site, empowering patients to find their most-convenient location.

Each site has been purpose built in selected areas – such as regions with high health inequalities – to ensure local communities have access to programmes when they need it.

Rhea Horlock, head of corporate social responsibility for NHSPS, said: “We want to ensure communities have access to quality healthcare when they need it, and we aim to make these services more accessible and convenient.

“Our refreshed social prescribing map identifies all our sites where we have minimised vacant space and facilitated community health programmes.

“We will continue to identify where we can develop more social prescribing programmes that communities across the country can access.”