The Green Social Prescribing Programme to Tackle and Prevent Mental Ill Health was a pioneering initiative to test the benefits of using nature-based support for people’s mental health.
Established in October 2020, the £5.77 million cross-Government programme set out to test how to embed green social prescribing into communities in order to:
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Improve mental health outcomes
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Reduce health inequalities
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Reduce demand on the health and social care system
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Develop best practice in making green social activities more resilient and accessible
The first phase of the programme (2021-23) included:
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Support for seven test and learn NHS Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) to tackle and prevent mental ill-health, including financial resource, national programme support and a programme wide community of practice
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Two pieces of research commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); one into perceptions of green social prescribing amongst patients, potential users and clinicians and one to understand capacity in the green sector, to support wider delivery, beyond the test and learn sites
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A national evaluation project managed by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The second phase of of the programme ran from April 2024 to March 2025, with nearly £4 million of further funding. This second phase of funding was intended to address evidence gaps and focus on key areas to support the spread and scale of green social prescribing.
Results and findings
Results and findings from the first phase included:
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Over 8,500 people were referred to a green social prescribing activity during the programme from April 2021-March 2023.
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Evaluation findings showed statistically significant improvements in mental health and wellbeing and strong engagement in communities experiencing high levels of social inequalities that affect health and wellbeing.
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Green social prescribing was shown be relatively cost-effective compared to other mental health interventions. For every £1 invested by central government, the programme generated a social return on investment of up to £2.42.
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57% of participants were from the most socio-economically deprived areas and 21% of participants were from ethnic minority populations.
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85% uptake of green social prescriptions when offered
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Green networks were established in all test and learn sites
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Integrated workforce development has increased trust and understanding between delivery partners and healthcare providers, leading to more referrals to suitable green activities
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Green social prescribing is increasingly represented in policy and strategy at a national and local level across different government sectors.
The first phase of the programme was supported by the Treasury Shared Outcomes Fund with additional funds from NHS England, Sport England and National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP). It was project managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) with support of national partners Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), Natural England, Sport England and NASP. The test and learn site delivery was project managed by NHS England.
The second phase of programme was supported by the Treasury Shared Outcomes Fund and partners. It was project managed by the National Academy for Social Prescribing.
Further evaluations of the second phase of the programme will be published soon.
National Research
More resources are available on our Green Social Prescribing Innovation Community
