13/10/2026 Providers' Report - 'Changing the lens: provider perspectives on Green Social Prescribing'

You can harness nature-based approaches to strengthen neighbourhood health and prevention strategies, including as a vital part of the social prescribing mix. New research offers evidence-based frameworks and practical principles for action to grow suitable nature-based provision.

Why growing nature-based approaches matters

Policy context

The 10 Year Plan for Health and subsequent guidance have signalled the direction of travel: greater collaboration with local government and wider system partners, longer-term planning, prioritising transformation and left shift, working meaningfully with patients and communities, and driving the shift to integrated models of neighbourhood care. Nature-based approaches can play a role in how you achieve these goals and this research highlights practical steps you can take.

Evidence

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes nature as “our greatest source of health and wellbeing” (WHO 2020).

In 2022, Natural England published a series that summarises evidence of the links between the natural environment and mental health and physical health. Building on this, the National Academy for Social Prescribing produced an evidence review on ‘How the natural environment can support health and wellbeing through social prescribing.’

Launched in April 2021, the cross-Government Preventing and Tackling Mental Ill Health through Green Social Prescribing programme (the GSP programme) has developed evidence and good practice.  The programme set out to embed Green Social Prescribing (GSP) into communities in order to: improve mental health outcomes, reduce health inequalities, reduce demand on the health and social care system; and develop best practice in making green social activities more resilient and accessible.  Across all seven Test and Learn sites, nature-based providers supported people across the age spectrum including under 18s.  Evaluation showed: 

• Statistically significant improvement in wellbeing for each of the ONS4 wellbeing domains after accessing nature-based activities through the GSP programme.
• Strong engagement in communities experiencing high levels of social inequalities that affect health and wellbeing.  
• GSP was relatively cost-effective to support people across a wide spectrum of mental health needs compared to other mental health interventions.

New research - 'Changing the lens: provider perspectives on Green Social Prescribing'

This research builds on the GSP programme by exploring GSP from a provider perspective. Current and potential providers across England were interviewed and attended workshops with national stakeholders.

The report sets out eight principles for action to help you work with local providers, advocate for green options within personalised care and prevention strategies, or develop training for link workers.  Many of the findings are relevant to other areas of provision for social prescribing.

The fieldwork included six ‘deep dives’, working with a system actor seeking solutions to address a local challenge relevant to GSP. Deep dive partners included a NHS health hub for young people in Lambeth which provides social prescribing and a NHS personalised care lead in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICS.

Key findings

1. Nature-based providers are motivated to play a part in supporting people with health needs, but struggle to find a way in. Providers face barriers to engaging with social prescribers – which can prevent them participating in social prescribing.  These include working out who to talk to, converting those connections into referrals, and maintaining those referral relationships. Referral mechanisms that do not work for providers are a barrier to participation. Making it easier for providers to engage with social prescribers is a vital first step.
   
   
2. A good referrer also needs to play their role in effective provision with two-way communication and clear processes for managing emerging risk. Providers expressed concerns about the risks that can come with referrals due to the level of need of people being referred against their capabilities to support them. Concerns are for the individual being referred, for other members of the groups, for staff and for volunteers and can be a barrier to the providers getting involved.
   
   
3. Providers need to be involved in conversations to define expectations of provision suitable for green social prescribing. What outcomes is it expected to achieve, for whom, with what types and levels of need, over what time frames? What standards must it therefore meet? What outcomes should be measured and tracked, and how can this best be done?
   
   
4. Nature-based provision suitable for green social prescribing is about much more than just a nature-based activity. Reliable provision is not possible without reliable funding for all the elements of that provision. This model highlights the elements needed for nature-based provision
   
   
5. Cross-sector networking and collaboration can unlock win-win solutions – with organisations from outside the nature-based sector playing key roles. There is no one-size-fits-all model for provider participation in GSP. Some providers are already set up to deliver all the elements of provision suitable for GSP. Others can be supported to develop their staff and organisations. For others, partnership models provide the best route to participation.
   
   
6. While nature-based activities vary greatly, suitable spaces need as a minimum to meet the needs of an activity and its participants for nature, access and safety. A lack of suitable green/blue spaces near to communities can be a critical barrier to the provision of accessible nature-based activities. On the other hand, green/blue spaces managed as community assets can play a pivotal role in driving place-based provision.
   
   
7. GSP is just one way of realising the wider potential of nature to support the health, wellbeing and flourishing of individuals and communities – while also achieving positive outcomes for nature. Narrowly focusing on GSP risks creating confusion or disengaging providers. A wider vision of green social provision – with provision suitable for GSP as one part of that – can engage the passion and motivation of a wider range of organisations, and also a wider range of funders.

Taking action

You can use evidence frameworks and principles in the report to assess your situation, develop strategies and seek sustainable funding for provision. 

Understand

• Identify and map provision for GSP looking beyond the obvious candidates to ensure provision is accessible and suitable for all.
• Understand the perspective of providers in your area – their motivations, capabilities and needs.
• Work with providers to understand how easy it is for providers to connect with social prescribers. Identify barriers and what helps engagement.
• Identify ways to improve local systems (drawing on the learning from the GSP programme).

Design

• Co-define expectations of provision suitable for GSP and how to build capability and capacity.
• Work with providers and referrers to co-create practical tools and mechanisms to support safe, effective referral practice.
• Contribute to a vision of the broader potential of nature-based provision to support flourishing individuals and communities; and use this to engage a wider range of providers and unlock new sources of funding.

Deliver

• Join in and/or build cross-sector networks and partnerships, including non-nature-based organisations.
  Support leadership and participation from within communities.
• Recognise that volunteers can add value to investment, but they cannot replace it.
• Advocate for investment in green and blue spaces as essential infrastructure for health and wellbeing: encourage partners to open spaces up for use and management as community assets.

Find out more, learn from peers and get started

• To read a summary of the research or the full Providers' Report: Changing the lens: provider perspectives on Green Social Prescribing
• For resources on GSP: Explore the Green Social Prescribing Resource Hub run by the National Academy of Social Prescribing.  This includes resources from the GSP programme: Green Social Prescribing Practice Report and Green Social Prescribing Toolkit.
• For networking opportunities and access to collaborative spaces to develop and share your work: Join their Green Social Prescribing Innovation Community.
• For wider resources on how organisations are bringing the benefits of nature and green space to people: Visit the resource hub run by the Nature, Towns and Cities initiative.
• For resources on making use of the NHS green estate: Visit Nature for Health - A Resource Hub for Healthcare Sites
• For training of GPs: A Green Social Prescribing Training course was created by GPs in collaboration with Natural England, NHS England, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICS, Intelligent Health and the National Academy for Social Prescribing. The free course explains the evidence and gives some simple, practical steps to integrate nature-based solutions into everyday practice.