A3 poster promoting the Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme produced by The Reading Agency and the Society of Chief Librarians, supported by Arts Council England, 2013

Reading Well Books on Prescription began in 2003 as an initiative of clinical psychologist Neil Frude. By 2005, the scheme was available nationally in Wales. In 2013, Reading Well Books on Prescription was launched as part of the NHS’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme (now called NHS Talking Therapies, for anxiety and depression programme). The programme aims to improve access to, evidence-based, NICE recommended, psychological therapies. Originally a list of 30 books was put together by an expert panel and could be prescribed by GPs, mental health nurses, counsellors and IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme) psychological well-being practitioners or self-selected by people.

By March 2021, 2.6 million Reading Well titles were borrowed from public libraries. A range of Reading Well lists are now available and titles are recommended by health experts, people with lived experience and their relatives and carers.

Libraries were chosen as a place to deliver Reading Well Books on Prescription as surveys found that many people viewed libraries as safe environments to find out about health issues.