Skip to main content
  • European Centre for Environment & Human Health

  • University of Exeter Medical School
  • Menu
  • Search
  • Home
  • About us Our mission and vision
    • Our Mission, Vision and Purpose
    • WHO Collaborating Centre on Natural Environments and Health
    • Peninsula Environment & Human Health Forum
    • Public Engagement
    • Our Mission, Vision and Purpose
    • WHO Collaborating Centre on Natural Environments and Health
    • Peninsula Environment & Human Health Forum
    • Public Engagement
  • Research Learn about our science
  • Impact Informing policy and practice
  • Education Explore our MSc and CPD courses
  • People Meet our staff and students
  • News & blog Updates from people and projects
  • Contact

Nature on prescription for mental health

Tagged:
  • Nature, Biodiversity and Health

A team from the University of Exeter and University of Plymouth are conducting a feasibility study of nature-based activities reached through social prescribing. The work is funded by have been awarded funds by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and will help prepare for a full Randomised Controlled Trial which will help clarify whether such activities are effective in protecting and improving the mental health of participants with diagnosed conditions such as depression and anxiety. The team are working with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, and Newquay Orchard.

The project is one of four funded by the NIHR and is linked to the national green social prescribing Test and Learn programme. It builds on previous work by the team including the Nature on Prescription Handbook funded by the MRC, and a report on Therapeutic Nature written for Defra. This project is also supported by The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South West Peninsula (PenARC).

 

Background

Social prescribing, which is increasingly used in the UK, involves GPs referring people living with mental ill-health to community activities as part of their treatment. Frequently Link Workers help patients identify activities that may suit them. They might choose: community choirs; volunteering opportunities; physical activity; or nature-based activities.

There are a large number of nature-based social prescribing projects, yet few have been evaluated using robust methods. Healthcare commissioners and staff are increasingly seeking high quality evidence of the clinical effectiveness of nature-based social interventions to guide them in the best allocation of resources. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are widely accepted as the most reliable way to demonstrate effectiveness. This type of evaluation will support more confident decision making and help ensure that people with mental health needs are referred to the most appropriate interventions for them.

Nature-based social prescribing is what is known as a complex intervention. It uses several stages of consultation and referral to allocate people to interventions, each of which may involve different types of activities, taking place in different localities, organised and led in different ways. Before undertaking a full trial, it is important to ensure the plans for that research are feasible, appropriate and acceptable, so that the outcomes of the RCT will be meaningful.

The study

The team will design a research plan which will include defining the target population, determining the most appropriate measurable outcomes and identifying a comparison group. To do this the team will consult with people already involved in social prescribing including: GPs, Link Workers, and nature-based activity providers. By advertising the study through these partners, we will recruit some of their service users to assess whether our plans will be acceptable to participants in the future RCT.

The activities that will be tested will be mapped to the key pathways that we identified in the Nature on Prescription Handbook.

The plan will be tested with a small number of GPs, nature-based activity providers and their participants to make sure it is appropriate and feasible. This will ensure that the processes are sound and achievable, that we are able to recruit enough people to the study, and that questionnaires used to measure impact are appropriate.

The outcome of the study will be a fully designed protocol, a detailed plan, for a future RCT which will assess the effectiveness of nature-based social prescribing for people with mental ill-health.

Nature on prescription for mental health

Authors

  • Dr Rebecca Lovell

    Dr Rebecca Lovell

  • Prof Ruth Garside

    Prof Ruth Garside

  • Dr Katie Gibbs

    Dr Katie Gibbs

Documents

  • Initial expression of interest letter for participants
  • Initial expression of interest letter for participants WWT

Related content

Research project

Nature on Prescription handbook

An evidence-based guide to how 'Nature on Prescription' can be implemented to support mental health.

Research project

Nature-on-prescription

This project will design a programme of nature-based group activities for people with common mental health conditions.

Research project

Barriers to entrepreneurship in Cornwall

Exploring the factors preventing low-income individuals in Cornwall from accessing funding and starting new ventures.

Contact details

European Centre for Environment and Human Health

University of Exeter Medical School

Peter Lanyon Building 12

Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 8RD

  • T: +44 (0) 1326 371859
  • E: ECEHHAdmin@exeter.ac.uk

Sign up to our mailing list

Fill in our form to receive updates on our latest projects, events and publications.

Subscribe

Follow us

  • @ecehh.bsky.social
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • @ecehh
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility

Copyright © 2025. European Centre for Environment & Human Health. All rights reserved.