NHS Social Prescribing Garden, Wellington Way
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Our brief
Wellington Way Health Centre in East London is surrounded by a fenced narrow outdoor space that is rarely used. The project to create a social prescribing garden was part of an NHS social prescribing pilot to transform vacant indoor and outdoor NHS spaces, improving community wellbeing through non-clinical ways.
Our brief was to turn this unloved and underused border space into a sunny and welcoming Social Prescribing garden that would be used as a social space and informal waiting area.
Inclusive, participatory design
We suggested to use the external space as part of the health centre; a semi-private garden for social prescribing classes such as yoga, mediation and gardening, as well as a space for staff and patients to relax and enjoy the outdoors. This extra dimension to the health centre would provide even more integrated care for the community in Tower Hamlets.
Improving Access
Built-in planter seating provides an informal outdoor waiting room and a breakout area for staff. Large planters break up the garden and create natural screens of plants that add pockets of privacy. A local community gardening organisation arranged a three day gardening workshop to educate, engage and involve the staff, patients and the wider community.
Groups meet regularly to maintain the plants, and spend time together outside and benefit from the gentle exercise – benefits that have been proven to support mental health and wellbeing.
The garden space is used by community groups, from toddler groups to art therapy and mindfulness sessions, as well as and by health centre staff on their lunch breaks. In bringing these people together, the garden is helping to tackle social isolation and provide a place for relaxation and connection to nature.
We worked with Urban Growth and Gingko Gardens to deliver the project – find out more on the NHS Estates website.
Details
Services
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