Social return on investment of a yoga-based wellbeing programme for social prescribing in the UK
Abstract
IntroductionCommon mental disorders pose a profound public health challenge across the United Kingdom (UK), leaving regional health boards with backlogs of patients awaiting formal treatment. Consequently, UK healthcare policy is shifting toward integrated, community-based solutions, placing greater emphasis on social prescribing to sustain mental wellbeing during wait times. Within these community frameworks, mind-body modalities such as yoga have emerged as promising interventions. However, despite growing clinical support for their psychological benefits, their specific socio-economic value remains largely unexplored. This study addresses this limitation by evaluating the social return on investment (SROI) of a five-week Dru Yoga Wellbeing (DYW) Programme delivered to UK participants managing mild-to-moderate mental health conditions.MethodsFollowing UK Cabinet Office guidelines, this multi-site evaluation tracked an intervention across nine UK locations (July–October 2025). Quantitative outcomes (n = 59 baseline; n = 41 complete cases) were monetised using the UK Treasury-approved Wellbeing-Adjusted Life Year (WELLBY) metric for life satisfaction and the UK Mental Wellbeing Bank metric for mental wellbeing. Findings were triangulatedwith qualitative data from questionnaires (n = 40) and semi-structured interviews(n = 9). Standard SROI deductions for deadweight, attribution, displacement, and drop-off were applied to ensure analytical rigour.ResultsQuantitative analysis revealed substantial pre- to post-intervention improvements for life satisfaction and mental wellbeing, The SROI analysis yielded a social return of £3.15 for every £1 invested for mental wellbeing, and £4.79 per £1 invested for life satisfaction. Qualitatively, thematic analysis identified key biopsychosocial outcomes: psychological improvement, enhanced social connection, and improved physical wellbeing.DiscussionThe convergence of positive SROI ratios and qualitative biopsychosocial themes suggests that the DYW Programme shows promise as a valuable preventative intervention. Consequently, these preliminary findings indicate that this five-week yoga programme may warrant further consideration within regional social prescribing frameworks, particularly as part of broader efforts to foster community mental health resilience.
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BibTeX
@article{lloydwilliams2026social,
title = {{Social return on investment of a yoga-based wellbeing programme for social prescribing in the UK}},
author = {Huw Lloyd-Williams and Ned Hartfiel and Alex T. Friend and Daljit Sandhu and Limssy Varghese and Rhiannon Tudor Edwards},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1972650},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1972650},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Social return on investment of a yoga-based wellbeing programme for social prescribing in the UK
AU - Huw Lloyd-Williams
AU - Ned Hartfiel
AU - Alex T. Friend
AU - Daljit Sandhu
AU - Limssy Varghese
AU - Rhiannon Tudor Edwards
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/09
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1972650
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1972650
AB - IntroductionCommon mental disorders pose a profound public health challenge across the United Kingdom (UK), leaving regional health boards with backlogs of patients awaiting formal treatment. Consequently, UK healthcare policy is shifting toward integrated, community-based solutions, placing greater emphasis on social prescribing to sustain mental wellbeing during wait times. Within these community frameworks, mind-body modalities such as yoga have emerged as promising interventions. However, despite growing clinical support for their psychological benefits, their specific socio-economic value remains largely unexplored. This study addresses this limitation by evaluating the social return on investment (SROI) of a five-week Dru Yoga Wellbeing (DYW) Programme delivered to UK participants managing mild-to-moderate mental health conditions.MethodsFollowing UK Cabinet Office guidelines, this multi-site evaluation tracked an intervention across nine UK locations (July–October 2025). Quantitative outcomes (n = 59 baseline; n = 41 complete cases) were monetised using the UK Treasury-approved Wellbeing-Adjusted Life Year (WELLBY) metric for life satisfaction and the UK Mental Wellbeing Bank metric for mental wellbeing. Findings were triangulatedwith qualitative data from questionnaires (n = 40) and semi-structured interviews(n = 9). Standard SROI deductions for deadweight, attribution, displacement, and drop-off were applied to ensure analytical rigour.ResultsQuantitative analysis revealed substantial pre- to post-intervention improvements for life satisfaction and mental wellbeing, The SROI analysis yielded a social return of £3.15 for every £1 invested for mental wellbeing, and £4.79 per £1 invested for life satisfaction. Qualitatively, thematic analysis identified key biopsychosocial outcomes: psychological improvement, enhanced social connection, and improved physical wellbeing.DiscussionThe convergence of positive SROI ratios and qualitative biopsychosocial themes suggests that the DYW Programme shows promise as a valuable preventative intervention. Consequently, these preliminary findings indicate that this five-week yoga programme may warrant further consideration within regional social prescribing frameworks, particularly as part of broader efforts to foster community mental health resilience.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -