A dose of the allotment is soon to become doctor’s orders
DOCTORS are being urged to refer patients to work on allotments and herb gardens under a scheme funded by the Royal Horticultural Society.
GPS have teamed up with the plant charity as part of a pilot scheme to prescribe gardening to patients with mental health issues and dementia.
One of the gardens is in Highgate, north London, where patients at the NHS Simmons House Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Unit will work with the local allotment association to create a haven for bees and butterflies by digging a wildlife garden full of insect-friendly plants.
The other, Owd Martha’s Yard in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, will run gardening activities for people referred by their doctor. Aimed at promoting social inclusion and light exercise, those attending will grow herbs that can be used to make tea.
A Chelsea Flower Show garden will also be dug up and planted at an NHS trust, with 23 of the 54 mental health trusts applying for the RHS show garden. Last year, Camden and Islington Mental Health Trust was the successful recipient of a Chelsea garden to help patients.
This year’s show will feature many gardens with well-being and mental health as a theme, including one designed by the Duchess of Cambridge to encourage parents and children to reduce stress by getting back to nature.
Guy Barter, the RHS chief horticulturist, said: “Gardens, in all their myriad forms, promote good health and well-being but their designs can also be tweaked to serve a specific purpose.
“Sensory gardens have educational and recreational applications and use plant choice, features and installations to stimulate each of the senses. This might include tall grasses or bamboos that can help exclude everyday noise and promote a calming sound … for those that need a space to relax, or textured plants like lamb’s ears and silver sage to encourage interaction from, for example, those with dementia.”
Ministers have urged GPS to prescribe hobbies such as gardening, art, and even ballroom dancing as part of efforts to boost activity, lift mood and reduce reliance on medication.
Prof Tim Kendall, the NHS England national clinical director for mental health, said: “Gardening is good for our mental health as it offers physical exercise, which improves depression and anxiety, and also helps people find companionship and support. This is why the NHS is supporting social prescribing schemes which include gardening, to help people stay fit and healthy in ways that go beyond pills and medical procedures.”