Tom Bawden reports for inews:
“Gardening, walking in the woods, or some other dose of nature, could soon be commonly prescribed as a treatment on the NHS after a major study found that “green prescriptions” can work wonders for our mental and physical health.
Green prescriptions can take many different forms, depending on the individual, but typically involve bringing people together outdoors so that patients can benefit from social interaction as well as exposure to the sea, park or other kind of green or watery environment.
As little as 15 minutes of outdoor nature-based activities a week has been found to really help – although green prescriptions more typically involve a hour or two of exposure a week.
The study findings will put further pressure on the Government to expand the green prescription pilot programme it has been running in seven areas across England over the past two years, when it decides whether to roll it out more widely, early next year …”
You can read more from here.
This sounds like a great idea as an integrated part of treatment, rather than another hoop or barrier to jump through if the individual needs more input.