Tens of thousands more people ‘should be prescribed art classes and gardening’

Tens of thousands more people should be prescribed art classes, group gardening projects and nature walks on the NHS in a bid to improve physical and mental health, royal medical colleges have said.

A report from the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists says many people are missing out on “social prescribing”, even though it could help combat the mental health fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Social prescribing can include activities such as attending a new skills workshop, playing football in a local team, taking some form of education or training, or helping local elderly residents with their gardening.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 86% of women and 74% of men reported being lonely at the end of January, with the pandemic having made the problem worse than before.

Among the recommendations in the new report are for social prescribing to be available to all mental health service users in all community and inpatient settings, and via a GP.

At the moment, GPs can refer patients to link workers who know their local area and can recommend activities and workshops.

Dr Katherine Kennet, lead author of the report and sustainability lead at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “Covid-19 has shown just how damaging loneliness and isolation can be to our mental health, but social prescribing can play a big part in supporting people’s recovery as we move out of the pandemic.

“Social prescribing provides an exciting opportunity for mental health services as part of their ambition to secure the best outcomes for their patients, but it must be available as a treatment for everyone, regardless of where they live.

“It is crucial social prescribing is used to complement existing treatments and should not be used as a substitute for talking therapies or medical interventions.”

It is unclear how many people currently access social prescribing but the colleges say services can be patchy across the UK.

Karin Orman, assistant director for professional practice at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, said: “The importance of social participation on maintaining good mental health has been amplified during the pandemic.

“Social prescribing clearly supports people’s wellbeing and occupational therapists can work with those whose needs are more complex and require a more tailored approach to actively engage and participate in social activities.”

One patient, Michelle, was struggling with anxiety, depression and isolation before joining a nature reserve project in Preston, Lancashire.

“I’ve lived with anxiety and depression for 20 years, but lockdown made everything worse because I was so isolated and so lonely,” she said.

“I felt even more disconnected and was living with thoughts of self-harm and suicide. But my life took a turn for the better when I started engaging with Brockholes Nature Reserve.

“Their online Zoom meetings and outdoor sessions at the reserve have helped me so much.

“I don’t feel lonely any more and I feel like have a future and a life worth living.

“I’m even going back to work next month which is something I never thought would happen.”

James Sanderson, director of personalised care for NHS England, said: “We know that people’s ability to live full and healthy lives is dependent on more than just medication, which is why the NHS has added over 1,300 social prescribing link workers to teams in primary care in the last 18 months.

“Our ambition is to expand this number even further, meaning we could reach more than 900,000 people within the next three years.

“Patients are already benefiting from these thousands of workers, in place alongside doctors and nurses across England, and the time they are able to spend with people.”

He said the community activities on offer make “a big difference” to health and wellbeing.