Green Social Prescribing
Nature-based or green social prescribing links people with structured and facilitated nature-based activities that have been specifically designed for people with defined health needs.
Context
Chief among nature-based interventions are social and therapeutic horticulture (using gardening, food growing and plants to support wellbeing); care farming (involving the therapeutic use of agricultural landscape and farming practices); and environmental conservation (involving activities designed for conservation and management of natural places for health and wellbeing). Green social prescribing is an important component of the government’s Covid-19 mental health recovery plan, which sets out a whole-person strategy to support people living with mental illness.
In 2021 Defra, NHS England and NHS Improvement, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department of Health and Social Care, Natural England and Public Health England have made an investment of over £5.5 million in setting up seven ‘test and learn’ green social prescribing sites in England, focusing especially on communities whose mental health has been disproportionately affected by Covid-19.
Aims and Objectives
Dr Peter Coventry, Department of Health Sciences
Prof Piran White, Environment and Geography
Principal Investigators (York)
Dr Peter Coventry, Department of Health Sciences
Prof Piran White, Environment and Geography
The West Yorkshire project is funded by the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership and NIHR ARC Yorkshire and Humber.
The Humber, Coast and Vale project is funded by the HEY Smile Foundation and NIHR ARC Yorkshire and Humber.