‘Better than drugs’: prescribing nature works, project shows
A report has found that a large-scale project in England to help people connect with nature has led to major improvements in mental health.
A government-backed project has found that thousands of people in England are benefiting from prescribing nature activities to tackle mental health problems.
More than 8,000 people were helped to take part in activities such as nature walks, community gardening, tree planting and wild swimming, in what is believed to be the largest project in the world to date.
The results showed that after taking part in the programmes, feelings of happiness and life worth living rose to almost national averages, while anxiety levels fell significantly. The project also found that the cost of a green prescription was around £500, making it cost-effective compared to other treatments. Cognitive behavioural therapy costs around £1,000 for 10 sessions.
The seven green prescribing pilots began in 2020 with £5.7 million of government funding, with GPs, mental health teams and social workers referring those who needed help to the schemes.
Prof Ruth Garside of the University of Exeter, author of a report on the schemesaid: “Our findings (show) that ‘green social prescribing’ is an effective way to support people with their mental health. But this is just the beginning. There needs to be a continued commitment from policymakers.”
“There is a huge demand, both from the health service and from many people whose needs are not being met,” said Dr Becca Lovell, also from the University of Exeter. Mental health is a particularly strained part of the National Health Service. The seven pilots are expected to receive a new round of funding to extend their reach.
“After the group I feel cheerful, happy, calm,” said a participant in one of the programs. “I have a sense of satisfaction and I feel my well-being increasing.”
Another participant, whose mental health is related to trauma, said: “It works better than medication for me. It works better than CBT for me. I have my counselling and that is really valuable, but this is equal to that.”
Participants were assessed before and after taking part in the green prescription schemes. Their average happiness scores went from 5.3 out of 10 to 7.5 and their sense of life worth living rose from 4.7 to 6.8. Reported levels of anxiety dropped from 4.8 to 3.4. One of the sites also used a medical scale to assess anxiety and depression and found a statistically significant improvement in both.
Dr Marion Steiner, a GP in Bristol and part of the west country pilot, said: “Connecting with nature is a lifelong resource with proven benefits for mental and physical health. It can break generations of negative life events.
“But many of the patients I treat are currently unable to access nature in this way due to a range of personal, social and cultural barriers. That’s why green social prescribing is so important. This project has the potential to reduce a range of prescribing and treatment costs for the NHS, as well as addressing many health needs and reducing the risk of a range of diseases from diabetes to depression.”
The green prescribing sites were in Humberside, South Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Manchester, Surrey and the west of the country. They reached a wider range of people compared with previous social prescribing schemes, with 21% from ethnic minority groups and 57% from economically deprived areas.