Contact with nature can have a positive effect on physical and mental health, and this in turn can foster sustainable behaviour.
Hospital courtyards and gardens create therapeutic spaces for patients and breathing spaces for staff. If planned and if managed sustainably they can deliver multiple environmental benefits from homes for wildlife, to clean air and water. Through the NHS Lothian Charity’s Green Health programme, we work in partnership to enhance the NHS estate and community greenspaces and connect more patients and staff to therapeutic activities within them. You can read more here:
https://greenhealth.nhslothiancharity.org/
This webinar will give an overview of the challenges and opportunities to deliver green health activities from the front line engaging with patients, staff and communities. It looks at how we design nature to enhance these spaces for staff wellbeing, how we connect with communities to best use the greenspaces surround our sites and how we tackle health inequalities in groups that are often excluded from greenspace.
Speakers and topics include:
- Katie Hawkins, GP Access Place – Developing a greenspace for people experiencing homelessness.
- Paul Barclay, Senior Project Officer, The Conservation Volunteers – Wild Ways to Wellbeing at St John’s Hospital and beyond.
- Iain Cartwright, Arts and Green Health Project Manager – Integrating staff wellbeing and sustainable places.
- Chair – Jane Hopton, NHS Lothian Sustainability Lead.
