# Social prescribing link workers: a test for public health ethics?

## TL;DR

The paper examines the ethical implications of Social Prescribing Link Workers, who connect clinical care with community support, focusing on their growing role in public health.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel ethical analysis of bridge roles in public health, using the UK as a case study.

## Key findings

- SPLWs are expanding globally, especially in the UK.
- The roles raise ethical questions about integration into formal health systems.
- The paper highlights the need for ethical frameworks to guide these evolving roles.

## Abstract

This article builds on the conversation initiated in The Unusual Suspects by the Royal Society for Public Health regarding the wider public health workforce. It focuses on the ethical implications of evolving “bridge” roles, such as Social Prescribing Link Workers (SPLWs), who operate at the intersection of clinical care and community-based support. The commentary explores how these roles are expanding globally, with the UK offering a key case study due to its scale of implementation and integration into formal health systems.