'Nature prescriptions bring benefit to patients'

There's been a huge benefit to the health and wellbeing of patients been given 'nature prescriptions', doctors have said.

The Croft Medical Centre in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, has been offering the prescription to some of its patients to help them with their physical and mental health.

The scheme encourages people to connect with the outdoors by going for walks and getting some fresh air and the surgery leads a walk with patients every week. Patients also benefit by meeting other people, Dr Jo Fleming said.

Steve Moody has been going on weekly walks with his dog Poppy and said he was "happier and fitter" since doing them.

Nature prescriptions were brought in by the RSPB and the West Midlands Combined Authority launched in 2022 following successful projects in other parts of the UK.

Dr Fleming is the centre's health and wellbeing coach and joins the patients on the walk every week.

"We have a walk on a Thursday (from Croft Medical Centre) and we have a walk from a different practice on a Monday and we can tell people that getting out in nature and going for walks is a really good thing for their physical and mental health, not only because they're out in nature and we know the benefits that you get from that, but also those social connections that we get as well," she said.

At first only one person attended the walks, but now the sugery gets an average of ten people joining in.

Patients who are deemed suitable to receieve a nature prescription are supported by the surgery's social prescriber Sney Gohil.

She said everything they do is patient-led and this makes a huge difference to their level of participation in the weekly sessions.

A lot of the participants were single or did not have much time to meet other people, she added.

Moody said he had to attend a health course at the surgery and that was when it was recommended that he be given a nature prescription.

He said its improved both his mental and physical health.

"It's very difficult to quantify, but I'm happier and fitter. I'm doing more miles every week, which is good for her [Poppy] and good for me," he added.

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