We've all been on the receiving end of general health advice such as; drink more water, eat more greens and rest. Usually, from a parent who suspects, it's a maths test rather than appendicitis.

Well, the NHS is taking it one step further with 'social prescribing', which could see GPs recommending gardening, baking and joining an art society over the course of medication.

Is this the NHS trying to warn off hypochondriacs convinced they have yet another rare disease? 

Or have they accepted a bribe from a partner desperate to get the lawn mowed?

Apparently, it's neither.

According to the NHS, social prescribing is a holistic approach to people's health and well-being, connecting people to community groups and services for practical and emotional support.

The aim is to help patients who have chronic problems that standard treatments haven't helped improve their quality of life.

According to the Daily Mail, social prescribing became an official health service policy in 2019 when the then-health secretary, Matt Hancock, opened the UK National Academy of Social Prescribing. He said it could 'help us combat over-medicalising people' and save money.

 Sean Jennings, a 61-year-old experiencing chronic pain, had significantly benefited from the social prescribing model when his GP referred him to a pain management centre after years of heavy medications.

'Its mantra was 'Skills, not pills', and it changed my life,' says Sean. 'I'm now off all drugs. My pain hasn't gone, but I've been taught how to ignore it.'