Social Return on Investment (SROI) Evaluation of Citizens Advice on Prescription: A Whole-Systems Approach to Mitigating Poverty and Improving Wellbeing

Citizens Advice on Prescription (CAP), a Liverpool (UK)-based service, provides welfare advice and link worker social prescription support to people experiencing and at risk of experiencing financial or social hardship. CAP, which receives referrals from healthcare and third-sector services, aims to improve service users’ financial security, health, and wellbeing. A mixed-methods social return on-investment (SROI) analysis was used to evaluate this service. Between May 2022 and November 2023, a subset of service users (n = 538) completed the Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Survey (SWEMWBS) at baseline and a 2-month follow-up. Supporting quantitative and qualitative economic data were also collected (February 2023–February 2024) through semi-structured interviews (n = 16). Changes in social value were determined by comparing pre- and post-SWEMWBS scores. These scores were then mapped to monetary values using the Mental Health Social Value Bank (MHSVB). SROI ratios were then calculated by dividing the change in social value by the associated service provision costs. The mean social value change per person ranged from GBP 505.70 to GBP 697.52, and the mean service provision cost was GBP 148.66 per person. The overall study reported a positive SROI return range of GBP 1: GBP 3.40–GBP 4.69. The results indicate that non-clinical support services, like CAP, may be an effective intervention for addressing the wider determinants of health and wellbeing.