The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) is calling for social prescribing to be formally recognised as an essential part of modern healthcare, as Australia faces a growing epidemic of loneliness and social isolation.
One in three Australian adults and two in five young people are affected by loneliness, with research showing its health impact can be worse than smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Globally, loneliness is linked to around 870,000 deaths each year — the equivalent of losing the population of Adelaide annually.
RACGP Specific Interests Social Prescribing Chair, Dr Kuljit Singh, said Social Prescribing Day highlights the urgent need to treat social connection as a key factor in health and wellbeing.
“GPs don’t just treat disease, we care for people within the context of their lives,” Dr Singh 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 comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) strengthens its global focus on social connection, launching the WHO Collaborating Centre for Social Prescribing Policy and Development in partnership with the UK’s National Academy of Social Prescribing. The move formally recognises 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 begin with identifying and addressing the social determinants of health, which account for up to 55% of health outcomes.
“General practice can’t respond to unmet social need if we don’t routinely identify it,” Dr Singh said.
The College is calling for medical software systems to include social determinants of health from the first patient registration and throughout ongoing care. These include social inclusion, financial and housing security, food safety, family and relationship supports, employment, education, stress levels and physical activity.
Validated tools such as the UCLA Loneliness Scale could be integrated into everyday practice, helping GPs better understand patients’ circumstances and deliver care that reflects “what matters” to them.
This year’s Social Prescribing Day theme, “Wellbeing through community connections,” highlights the power of community as a health intervention.
The RACGP is encouraging both clinicians and patients to engage with social prescribing by joining or referring to local walking, running or cycling groups such as Parkrun or Neighbourly Ride, exploring shared medical appointments, and partnering 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 urging governments, health leaders and digital health providers to invest in systems that embed social prescribing into routine care.
“Recognising community connection as healthcare is a critical step toward a healthier, more connected and more resilient Australia,” Dr Singh said.
