Our story
The Dundee Green Health Partnership (GHP) is funded by NatureScot and partners. It is one of four Scottish pilot partnerships connecting NHS, Dundee City Council, and the Third Sector with nature-based intervention delivery partners and communities. The GHP aims to make more use of Dundee's green spaces for physical, mental and social wellbeing. Before having the partnership in place Dundee had a large offering of nature-based interventions, without direct referral pathway for NHS Healthcare professionals due to the dynamic nature of the third sector.
The GHP is an early adaptor of Scotland's 'whole system approach' working across various departments such as the Council's Neighbourhood Services Environment, Active Travel, Sustainability & Climate Change, to Housing Teams; NHS Tayside Public Health, primary and secondary care including Doctors, Nurses, Consultants, Link Workers, Pharmacists, AHPs (and more), local Universities and organisations such as Leisure & Culture, Positive Steps, and more.
The GHP works with service users and organisational bodies to co-design and produce interventions to make more use of green health interventions. It has been instrumental in creating Green Health Prescriptions, a new prescription connecting people suffering from mental and physical health issues, in recovery and loneliness – with green health interventions delivered by third sector groups. These include MacMillan MoveMore, Steps to Health, Dudhope Therapy Garden, Ninewells Community Garden, TCV, Learning in the Community, Dundee United and Dundee Football Club Community Trusts', ParkRun, Dighty Connect, ReDiscover Dundee, SAMH, Wellbeing Works, GreenBuds, & ParkLives.
Our advice
One of our first tasks was to design a pathway that would allow NHS health professionals to refer patients to local nature-based interventions – the innovative Green Health Prescription - which is used alongside more traditional methods to encourage people to access an array of enjoyable and sociable activities in green spaces. These include gardening, cycling, health walks, walking football, kettle exercise, running, and many more. The pathway was co-designed in partnership with community groups, NHS Tayside and Third Sector nature-based interventions.
Behind the statistics are very inspirational personal stories. Feedback from participants gives a true measure of the impact of nature-based interventions on people who suffer health inequalities. They tell us they forget about their issues and feel more socially connected when cycling, walking or gardening. Service users have described the project as: 'such a life line', 'excellent for us', 'complete life saver', 'highlight of my week'.
Our Changeprint
Our Changeprint can be measured by the improvements in people's mental and physical health from 'green health' interventions and prescriptions; and in the wider adoption of these practices as part of a 'whole system approach' to wellbeing.
