Doctors urged to tell patients to do some gardening or art instead of dishing out prescriptions

DOCTORS should tell patients to do some art or gardening instead of dishing out pills, the Health Secretary has told medics.

Matt Hancock said people can often benefit more from taking part in social activities than taking tablets.

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He wants medics to give written instructions on how to boost health without drugs whenever possible.

Joining dance groups, volunteering or being more active may boost mental and physical health, combat loneliness and improve mobility.

Mr Hancock said it should become “normal practice” for doctors to issue these so-called “social prescriptions”.

He said mobile phones and gadgets like FitBits could be used to monitor if patients are doing what is asked of them.

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The devices track movements and may be adapted to send info back to a user’s medical records for a doctor to review.

They could then send reminders via text or WhatsApp if the patient needs a nudge.

Mr Hancock, who previously pledged £4.5million towards social prescribing schemes, told the NHS Expo in Manchester that anybody in the NHS should be able to issue the prescriptions. He said: “I’m a big fan of social prescribing.”

Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, from the Royal College of GPs, said: "In some of these cases ‘social prescribing’ can be more beneficial for a patient than prescribing them medication or other conventional treatment.

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