GPs in some parts of England can now prescribe ‘nature’ to their patients alongside conventional methods of dealing with mental health issues.
The RSPB’s Nature Prescriptions Scheme allows healthcare professionals to improve people’s wellbeing by encouraging connections with nature, all through prescriptions from local GPs.
The scheme has been rolled out in the West Midlands after the initiative’s beginning in Scotland. Although not yet in Merseyside, health experts believe that people in the region could benefit from it and that the facilities to make it happen already exist.
Mark Green, Professor of Health Geography at the University of Liverpool said: “Anything that gets people to enjoy and use nature is worthwhile in my opinion, given the overwhelming amount of evidence showing their benefits to our health and wellbeing.”
People living in built-up urban areas such as inner-city Liverpool might find it more difficult to immerse themselves in natural environments than those living in suburban and rural areas.
“While people in urban areas might have access to green spaces, their qualities can be highly variable. Green spaces tend to be unequally distributed though, often located further away for residents in deprived areas,” said Professor Green.
Liverpool does already have some experience in using green spaces to improve both mental and physical wellbeing, with spaces like the Princes Park Health Centre Garden which opened in April this year.
The garden not only helps people’s mental wellbeing but also boosts biodiversity and encourages healthy eating.
Denise Cottam, Corporate Social Responsibility Delivery Manager at Community Health Partnerships said: “I think that you’re giving people the opportunity to come and to socialise and to learn about gardening, and I think the lessons they learn they can take away with them.
“It’s gone from strength to strength. I’ve had so many lovely, good news stories that people that have been helped by this garden.”
She added that the Health Centre Garden would be useful for a scheme such as the RSPB’s Nature Prescriptions.
“It definitely has the potential to reduce those inequalities,” she added.
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Featured image: Rebecca Thompson
