Green Social Prescribing
Category: Green Social Prescribing
Title: Upscaling Green Social Prescribing and Urban Agriculture in Cities: Reflections on Social and Horticultural Therapy in the United Kingdom, The Professional Geographer (2024)
Link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00330124.2023.2286591
Summary: Post-COVID policymaking has accelerated investment and support for urban greening initiatives. Even prior to the pandemic, we witnessed across the globe an ever-increasing appetite for the idea of bringing nature into the city through parks, allotments, urban farms, and other green assets. Indeed, the latter in particular has seen perhaps the largest growth in support, with urban agriculture (UA) continuing to be mainstreamed on an international level. This article reflects on Urban Agriculture in the United Kingdom, with an explicit focus on the concept’s relationship with green social prescribing (GSP). We reflect on geographers’ work in this area, before highlighting practice on the ground and demonstrating the increased impact of UA schemes that adopt this practice. In doing so, we hope that this article influences key actors to be aware of these opportunities and challenges, alongside influencing more geographers to engage with the growing field of GSP.
Category: Green Social Prescribing
Title: Test and Learn’ Programme Final Report – April 2023, Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (2023)
Summary: Between April 2021 and March 2023, the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership has been a ‘test and learn’ site for green social prescribing (GSP), one of only seven such sites across England. With funding and support from the Department of Health and Social Care; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Natural England; NHS England; Sport England; Office of Health Improvement and Disparities; and the National Academy of Social Prescribing, the ‘test and learn’ programme sought to explore:
What is required to scale up GSP at a local system level and the steps needed to increase patient referrals to nature-based activities.
With a key focus on:
• Improving mental health outcomes
• Reducing health inequalities
• Reducing demand on the health and social care system
• Developing best practice in making GSP more resilient and accessible
Category: Qualitative, Green social prescribing
Title: A Qualitative Study of the Barriers to Commissioning Social and Therapeutic Horticulture in Mental Health Care (2024)
Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-024-18621-8
Summary: This study aimed to identify the obsticales to including social and therapeutic horticulture in mental health services. Professionals interviewed were involved in mental health comissioning across the UK and linked to the Therapeutic Horticulture Stakeholder Group (THSG) chaired by the UK charity Thrive. The main barriers identified were a lack of awareness and evidence about STH’s benefits, and a preference for traditional medical treatments. Additionally, STH providers face difficulties meeting the demands of large-scale health service contracts.
Category: Qualitative, Children and Young Adults, Green Prescribing
Title: Exploring the Perspectives of ‘Young Adults’ (18–24) Who Have Been in Formal Care and Their Experiences of Attending a Socially Prescribed Community Allotment Gardening Group (2022)
Link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03080226221117447
Summary: “When I am outside, I feel my mind is clearer, [erm] I feel happier it was a world that I could escape to. [Erm] I think I would describe the allotment as a peaceful, calming and relaxing place to be.” This study explored the experiences of young adult care leavers in a community gardening group in the UK. Six participants, aged 18 to 24, were interviewed online about their experiences. The study found that the gardening group provided social belonging, a safe space, a sense of achievement, and benefits from being in nature, enhancing their social connections, self-identity, and well-being.
Category: Connecting to Nature; Therapeutic Design; Green Social Prescribing
Title: Community gardens as psychosocial interventions for refugees and migrants: a narrative review (2023)
Link: Community gardens as psychosocial interventions for refugees and migrants: a narrative review – ScienceOpen
Summary: A narrative review that explored the psychosocial outcomes of community gardens for refugees and migrants, analysing 17 peer-reviewed and 4 grey literature articles. The study identified four key themes: improved continuity and adaptation, enhanced social connectedness, overall wellbeing, and increased sense of meaning and self-worth. These findings suggest that community gardens can serve as valuable psychosocial interventions by fostering connections to the land and others, creating a sense of belonging in host countries, and linking individuals to their agricultural heritage. The review highlights the importance of integrating community gardening programs into resettlement services to support recovery and adaptation.
Category: Green Social Prescribing
Title: Forest Therapy Research in Europe: A Scoping Review of the Scientific Literature (2024)
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f15050848
Summary: A recent scoping review of forest therapy research in Europe examined 26 studies involving 2,775 participants across nine countries, including Italy, Germany, and Sweden. The studies primarily focused on psychological outcomes such as mood, relaxation, and wellbeing, as well as physiological markers like vital signs and salivary cortisol. Forest therapy demonstrated significant benefits, particularly in improving mental wellbeing and asthma-related health. Despite these positive findings, the review highlighted the need for more rigorous methodologies and standardised approaches to enhance the comparability and robustness of future research. These insights support the integration of forest therapy into public health and educational strategies as a holistic wellbeing intervention.
Category: Therapeutic Design; Qualitative; Green Social Prescribing
Title: Towards Key Principles for the Design and Implementation of Nature
Prescription Programs (2023)
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129530
Summary: A qualitative study using semi structured interviews to explore barriers, enablers, needs and preferences to providing nature-based prescriptions in Australia, as perceived by prescribers and providers. Highlights a range of barriers and complexities. They find a need for guidance on how to implement nature prescription, such as a guiding framework.