Doctors could soon be telling their patients to get out into the countryside to help cure what ails them. In a first for England, Midlands GPs have started to issue 'nature prescriptions' after a successful pilot in Scotland.
The move comes on the back of increasing evidence that spending more time outdoors connecting with nature can improve people's mental well-being. The prescriptions given out to patients in High Peak, Derbyshire, have been designed with help from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Peak District National Park Authority.
Patients are given a calendar of ideas to inspire them to connect with nature. This includes searching for frost on leaves and listening to sounds outdoors. Participants can complete the programme on their own or with others.
Sarah Walker, from RSPB England, said: “I’m thrilled to see the project coming to life in the High Peak and can’t wait to see how people in the area benefit from nature prescriptions. Working together with the Peak District National Park we have used our experience of connecting people to nature combined with the local knowledge of social prescribing services to develop something which is locally relevant and accessible for people to do from their own homes or close by.
"At the end of the day we’re all part of the natural world. Helping people to connect with nature is so important. We’d love to see nature as a part of every health professional’s toolkit in the future. So many people are faced with a whole range of pressures in their lives. Nature could provide a way to help them through.”
Patients will be referred by community mental health teams, adult social care teams, other local support agencies and 13 GP surgeries in the area, to two social prescribing services. The prescribing services take a holistic approach to health and wellbeing. It aims to signpost patients to a variety of support networks based on the individual. People will be given help with financial management and personal training.
Nature prescriptions are aimed at reducing stress, fatigue, anxiety and depression. It comes after a trial run by RSPB Scotland in the Shetland Islands and Edinburgh where 74% of patients say they benefitted from the prescription.
A massive 87% say they would continue to use nature to support their health and wellbeing. As well as the trial in High Peak – which is running indefinitely – it is also being rolled out in more locations in Scotland.
Tom Miller, a GP in Buxton, said: “Making sure we’re taking care of our health and wellbeing is incredibly important, particularly in January when life can be a real struggle. The days are short and money can be tight in this month. Nature prescriptions are a great way for people to potentially boost their wellbeing by taking time to be with nature. Evidence is emerging that time outdoors is good for our health and this is an ingenious, simple and cost-effective way to support people to do just that.”
Jo Hanney, communities and wellbeing ranger at the Peak District National Park, said: “We have decades of experience of enabling people to connect with nature in the Peak District National Park. The RSPB nature prescription is a new way of working for us. This experience and our knowledge of the Peak District have been key to developing the new tool, which is the first of its kind in England. We will be able to reach a far wider and more diverse audience by connecting people to the national park through the prescription.
“This exciting partnership sees the real benefits of spaces like our national parks more widely recognised as places that can make a very real and positive difference to people’s lives.”
