NHS charities across the UK have been awarded £500,000 to invest in creating and improving green spaces, which research has revealed have significant benefits for staff and patients alike.
The award is the third round of funding dedicated giving NHS staff, patients and communities better access to nature, and will be divided between 15 NHS charities.
Research from the first two rounds of funding highlighted strong positive outcomes of the new green spaces. Almost all patients (96%) said access to the spaces had improved their wellbeing, while 79% of staff said they had helped them to deal with problems at work.
The new investment will bring the total number of funded projects to 32. So far, 17 projects have given 7,000 NHS staff, patients and volunteers greater access to the outdoors.
‘Access to green spaces that support the physical and mental health of NHS staff’
Ellie Orton OBE, chief executive of NHS Charities Together, said: ’Access to green spaces and the benefits that this brings to our health and wellbeing should not be something limited to a lucky few, but available to everyone across the UK no matter where they live.
‘This latest round of funding, in partnership with Starbucks and Hubbub, will build on our achievements and learnings to date and enable even more NHS charities to create and enhance access to green spaces that support the physical and mental health of NHS staff, patients and local communities.’
Gavin Ellis, director and co-founder of Hubbub, added: ‘This fund has potential to make a positive difference not just to people’s wellbeing, but also to the environment. As well as the direct environmental impact of more green spaces, studies have shown that spending time in nature makes people more likely to make environmentally friendly lifestyle choices.
‘We are delighted to partner with local NHS charities to draw on their expertise in health and wellbeing and it is great to see them partnering with implementation partners who can provide expertise in greening projects to support project delivery.’
Follow Dentistry on Instagram to keep up with all the latest dental news and trends.
