Green Prescriptions

“Green prescriptions” or prescribing an agreed activity outside such as a weekly group walk are now becoming more popular alternative to prescript

16:09 29 December 2015

Visiting your GP for a common illness and expecting that you’ll leave with a prescription for meds? Well, you might be in for a surprise. As studies show that lack of exercise is now second only to smoking in causing premature deaths, more and more GPs are giving “green prescriptions” or prescribing an agreed activity outside.

 

Green prescriptions have long been the norm in other countries such as New Zealand and in some parts of Australia and the United States.

 

 Dr Tim Ballard, vice chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “So while, unlike in New Zealand, there are no plans for a nationalised scheme for green prescriptions, I think GPs will be more likely to link their patients to them in 2016.”

 

The scheme can save the NHS millions of pounds. Natural England found that £1 spent on establishing healthy walking schemes, the NHS could save £7.18 in the cost of treating conditions such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. 

Dr William Bird, strategic health advisor for Natural England, said: “We know that walking 30 minutes has a more advantageous outcome for people with angina than a coronary stent, but if I told my patients they don’t need the stent, they’d think I was trying to save money or not doing my job.”

 

“It’s going to be a major hurdle to get over this idea that the NHS has to be about white coats and stainless steel, but we really do need to get green space on the agenda, and seen as a sexy health benefit.”