The Meaningful Measures team is absolutely thrilled to share some wonderful news: our co-founder, Dr Marie Polley, has been awarded an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours for her exceptional services to social prescribing and for co-founding the Social Prescribing Network.
This is a thoroughly well-deserved recognition of Marie's tireless work over the past decade to build, shape, and champion the social prescribing movement from grassroots innovation to national policy and global influence.
The Meaningful Measures team is proud to celebrate this significant moment alongside Marie. Her passion for person-centred care and evidence-based practice has inspired thousands across the NHS, local authorities, the VCSFE sector, and beyond. It is also the foundation of everything we do at Meaningful Measures including the development and use of MYCaW® and MYMOP®, our validated outcome measures designed to capture what matters most to people.
In Marie's own words, she's feeling "deeply honoured and a little bit stunned". For those who know her impact, this recognition comes as no surprise. Alongside many inspiring colleagues and collaborators, Marie has led transformational change. A few highlights include:
- Leading the world's first international social prescribing conferences
- Launching the Social Prescribing Network Awards
- Supporting the development of youth and student networks
- Helping embed nurses and AHPs in the social prescribing model through PerCIE
- Co-leading over 14 evidence reviews for the National Academy of Social Prescribing
- Publishing extensively on impact, wellbeing, and health inequalities
- Mentoring international teams in building their own SP models
- Advising policymakers — including at Downing Street, Highgrove, and St James's Palace
- Even appearing on BBC Countryfile to share the power of social prescribing in nature
- And co-founding Meaningful Measures Ltd, ensuring that person-centred outcomes are captured in ways that truly reflect people's concerns and wellbeing.
Through it all, Marie has brought a rare combination of academic rigour, policy insight, and heartfelt compassion. Marie always champions collaboration, prevention, health equity and kindness in all her work.
As she often says, it's the people that make the journey meaningful. At Meaningful Measures, we couldn't be prouder to call her our colleague and friend.
Congratulations, Marie - your impact is profound and lasting and we look forward to being part of your work in the coming years.