Send a postcard to your GP
Have you personally benefitted from social prescribing? Or do you simply believe in the power of nature to boost your mood? Send a free postcard to your GP today so they know nature helps people!
There are 4 postcards you can choose from. Once you have chosen your favourite write your personal message and we’ll help you find the address it will be posted to.
Why send a postcard?
More and more doctors, physios and occupational therapists are starting to recommend activities with nature and spending time outdoors. This is called ‘social prescribing’ which is all about connecting people to local groups, activities, and services and other sources of support that can help them feel better. Social prescribing is having a positive impact on health and well-being, and is even starting to free-up GP’s time as people find they need to make appointments less often.
It’s important that all health professionals understand the impact of nature on our lives. But they’re busy people who rarely get to hear from patients when they are feeling well. Here’s a chance to change that!
The Wildlife Trusts have organised a send a postcard to your GP campaign. It’s very easy and can be donw via their website directly.
Gardening4Health 
Good morning Richard,
Interesting to receive your email and a great idea to target surgeries/GPâs, Being a charity I could not follow through with the postcard process.
We are starting a Green SP programme in Rushmoor called Blooming Minds. The programme is due to start in May for a 10 week duration. I have met all the local SP and personalised care leads in Rushmoor and they were all very keen for the programme to run, yet no referrals have yet been made. Relating to your email, and in your professional opinion, is there a lull in the Health Care divisions towards Green Social Prescribing?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards
Angela
Angela Wilson
Community Support Worker
(Mental Health and Wellbeing)
M: 07526076555
Rushmoor Voluntary Services, Civic Offices, Farnborough Road, Farnborough, Hants, GU14 7JU Tel: 01252 398450
Registered in England & Wales 3238444 – Registered Charity 1059794
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Hi Angela – I’m sorry to hear that no referrals have been made, it sounds like it could be a wonderful and highly impactful scheme.
In our area the SP workers numbers have been drastically cut in the last 6 months. I think the reasons for this is that the NHS has allowed Primary Care Networks to do away with the original set numbers of each kind of ARRS roles that they will fund – and instead let PCNs choose which roles they value the most.
As a result our local PCN – just like all PCNs around the country – facing spiralling workload on a dwindling budget and a shortage of clinical staff, has decided to redirect the monies for ARRS roles to more “sharp end” staff who can help deal with the clamour for appointments – Paramedics, Nurse Practitioners etc. So, the funding for staffing our Therapy Garden Project in Tonbridge has been cut, and I am having to look for charitable giving to fund it instead.
It’s a very sad state of affairs; at a time when we have never needed holistic and nature-based treatments so badly. But as a front-line clinician myself I’m sympathetic to the drivers behind it; albeit not happy about them!
Don’t give up! Keep publicising your project through the PCNS and the ICS and the local Health Education networks – the SPs may not be the access point that you’d hoped, but network as widely as you can through 3rd sector organisations – mental healthcare providers, Veterans Groups – Domestic abuse groups – addiction services etc etc, and hopefully your numbers will rise.
All the best with it – Richard
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