Overview
There is growing evidence that a nature-positive health service is vital for building stronger, healthier, and more sustainable communities. NHS Trusts manage sizable green estates that have the potential to support staff, patient, visitor, and community wellbeing. As well as linking in to the Greener NHS agenda, this work could be an important delivery mechanism to deliver NHS Trust ambitions around their role as Anchor Institutions.
What we’re doing
In Spring 2024 we commissioned rapid research through the University of Oxford’s Local Policy Lab Fellowship programme, to explore opportunities and challenges associated with health promotion through vegetable growing onsite at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH), our main acute healthcare trust in Oxfordshire.
We continue to work with Public Health, OUH Strategy and Partnerships Team, and wider stakeholders, to develop a ‘Green Wellbeing Lab’ initiative over the next couple of years.
As a partnership we are well connected with Oxford Health, Oxfordshire’s main mental and community health provider, which in 2023 recruited a Greenspace Manager to scale up the provision of social and therapeutic horticulture onsite.
Find out more
- See the NHS Forest website (run by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare) for information and resources about the NHS’s role in supporting biodiversity for people and nature
- Read CSH’s Nature Recovery Ranger evaluation report
- Read the Policy Lab report: Exploring opportunities and challenges associated with health promotion through vegetable growing on an acute hospital site.
Related publications
Recognitional equity in access to and planning of urban green spaces
This research by Mattia Troiano looks at how fair access to parks and green spaces in Oxford is influenced by income and community backgrounds. It finds that poorer communities often struggle to have their voices heard in decisions about these spaces, making it harder for them to shape their local environment. Even when efforts are made to include them, a lack of trust and practical barriers can stop them from taking part. Without recognizing these challenges, attempts to improve access and involvement in planning may not work as intended and could even make inequalities worse.
Equitable distribution of nature-rich accessible green space: An Oxfordshire case study
Oxfordshire’s Local Nature Partnership commissioned this research to understand the equality of access to green space, in terms of quantity and quality, across the county to help prioritise effort and funding. The project has identified neighbourhoods that are relatively deprived according to socio-economic measures and lack access to greenspace on a number metrics (including amount of greenspace, greenspace crowding and private gardens). Recommendations for Oxfordshire greenspace based on the report have been developed with local government officers and NGOs with responsibilities and/or interest in the subject.
Understanding the barriers to greenspace access
Access to green space and connection with nature are key determinants of physical and mental wellbeing. Yet some groups face significant barriers to access, many of which are poorly understood. Greenspace & Us is a community insights partnership project that used participatory and creative approaches to understand the barriers and enablers influencing access to greenspace for young women in East Oxford. The project was supported by Oxfordshire County Council and funded by Natural England.
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