Despite strong evidence on the role of nature in supporting positive mental health outcomes, a variety of challenges and barriers exist for people with severe mental illness in accessing nature-based interventions. This co-production study aims to explore the potential use of nature-based interventions to enhance quality of care and promote health outcomes in the short and longer term for people with severe mental illness across a patient care pathway from inpatient care to onward community referral.
This research is funded by the NIHR ARC Yorkshire and Humber through Research Capability Funding from Tees, Esk and Wears Valley NHS foundation Trust. Through Participatory Action Research (PAR) and partnering with co-researchers, we aim to conduct a series of workshops with OT teams at Foss Park hospital, nature-based providers in York, and people with lived experience of severe mental illness to identify the salient barriers, challenges, opportunities and facilitators to nature-based interventions for people with severe mental illness.
To date we have completed a number of workshops with the Foss Park hospital and community Occupational Therapist (OT) teams, activity co-ordinators who work alongside the OT teams, and the York Mind social prescriber at Foss Park hospital. Through these workshops we have explored the various nature-based interventions delivered at Foss Park hospital across nature typology (e.g., horticultural and animal-assisted therapies, sport and exercise, creative nature, digital nature, indoor nature). In addition, the Foss Park team have identified potential barriers and challenges to access and engagement with nature-based interventions, such as those at an individual (e.g., patient capacity) and operational level (e.g., funding). Opportunities include the development of the wider outdoor space, specifically the ward gardens, surrounding hospital grounds, and the adjacent York St John University allotment. Wider provision of nature-based interventions, including a greater diversity of nature-based activities within the community tailored to the individual needs of people with severe mental illness has also been identified as necessary to support onward referral.
Our next stages will involve conducting workshops with nature-based providers in York, and people with lived experience of severe mental illness to explore the main barriers, challenges, opportunities and facilitators to nature-based interventions from their perspectives. Final workshops will involve co-designing guidelines/recommendations to inform the provision and development of a range of nature-based interventions across an embedded patient care pathway from inpatient care to onward community referral.
Trish Darcy, Research Associate, Mental Health and Addiction Research Group, Department of Health Sciences, University of York
Image: Foss Park Hospital York St John University Allotment Space
