Launch of the Green Social Prescribing Practitioner Guidance

We have created new Green Social Prescribing Practitioner Guidance in partnership with The National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) and the cross-Government Green Social Prescribing programme.

The guidance, published by NASP, is aimed at groups and organisations who provide nature-based interventions that support people’s mental health. This includes community gardening programmes, local walking schemes, conservation volunteering, outdoor arts and culture, wild swimming and green gyms, among others. 

It offers clear, practical support to help these organisations receive safe and effective patient referrals from the health system. Providers and practitioners who are receiving referrals through Green Social Prescribing, can use the guidance to reduce risk and ensure people are connected to the right activity, at the right time, in the right way.

It sets out foundational principles to help providers:

• Describe their offer clearly and consistently to social prescribing link workers so they can make safe, appropriate referrals
• Establish safe and effective processes for receiving referrals and exchanging essential information with Social Prescribing Link Workers
• Manage induction, supervision, ongoing assessment and dynamic risk management for participants
• Identify legal obligations relevant to providers
• Consider the core competencies and skills needed by practitioners and provider organisations
• Plan for supervision, training, continuous professional development and quality improvement for practitioners, with links to sector resources that support consistent standards