NHS Forest to plant 150,000 trees

The NHS Woodland project, led by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, is determined to grow because it prepares to plant a convincing 150,000 extra trees on NHS sites. Thanks to the generous give a boost to from the Nature for Climate Fund managed by the Division for Environment, Meals and Rural Affairs (Defra), these trees shall be equipped without payment to NHS locations across England from October 2023 to March 2025. The project would possibly well also steal pleasure in oversight by the Forestry Commission.

The NHS Woodland aims to make round an additional 94 hectares of critical tree protection. This adds to the 100,000 trees planted for the explanation that project launched in 2009. The NHS Woodland’s efforts align with the UK Govt’s local weather approach, which commits to the planting of most contemporary woodlands with a target of 30,000 hectares per year of woodland creation by 2025.

From biodiversity to air air pollution, trees provide mighty advantages to both of us and flowers and fauna. Planting trees on healthcare sites creates larger places to dwell and work. Trees provide privateness and seclusion for personnel and sufferers, relieve to frigid buildings in scorching summers, provide cleaner air, make habitats for native flowers and fauna and store carbon. Trees also play an critical feature in saving lives and handy NHS resources by bettering air quality and bettering inhabitants successfully being. It’s estimated that the total sign to the NHS and social care system of caring for folks tormented by air air pollution between 2017 and 2025 will reach £1.6 billion. By planting trees and woodlands, the NHS property can play a key feature in illness prevention.

Defra Forestry Minister, Trudy Harrison stated: “We are proud to be supporting the planting of 150,000 trees at NHS sites across England thru our Nature for Climate Fund, that would possibly well per chance also fair price bigger entry to nature inner our communities.

“These fresh trees will relieve price the NHS property be a greener and more healthy station for personnel and sufferers alike, as well to serving to moderate temperatures, minimize air air pollution and minimize the risk of ground water flooding.”

Dr Miriam Dobson, Conducting and Proof Lead for Trees and Woodlands on the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, defined extra: “We’re angry to open on this ambitious project to plant an additional 150,000 trees on NHS sites. Trees and woodlands are an critical tool in serving to to give a boost to the environment. We urgently need to relieve, price and connect trees and woodlands, particularly in areas with the supreme successfully being inequalities. The NHS property is a serious asset in attaining this vision. By focusing our efforts on strategic planting, we are able to maximise this distinct affect.

“The NHS Woodland project supports sites no longer perfect with free trees, however also critical professional advice on where to plant trees, which trees to plant and the blueprint to relieve them. That is a key section of the system. We need to gape these trees dwell to narrate the story and thrive and provide the supreme profit to the communities round them.”

The affect of green spaces on personnel wellbeing is also critical. NHS personnel illness rates are increasing which is leading to extra money being spent on emergency personnel quilt. Get admission to to green home can relieve mitigate this. Fresh research published by Industry in the Community learned that workers with a look of nature steal 23% less in bad health hobble away.

The NHS Woodland project has already made a definite, real disagreement to sites across the UK. Ginnie Abubakar, Most cancers Strengthen and Files Companies Supervisor at Mount Vernon Most cancers Centre, shared her abilities: “Since we started working with the NHS Woodland project, there used to be amazing engagement on space. We’ve seen sufferers strolling thru our woodland walkway, taking time to sit down and stare upon the environment and that’s been very perfect. I’ve also had extra personnel than ever sooner than suggesting assembly outdoors which has had a gargantuan carry out on personnel wellbeing and morale. Our hope is to accumulate each person fascinated with constructing a greener future and making a definite affect on the wellbeing of our communities.”

NHS sites are invited to be a part of the NHS Woodland project and register to receive free trees. Discuss with their web page at https://nhsforest.org/ to open.

ENDS

Notes to editors

• The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare (CSH) conjures up and empowers of us to transform healthcare for a sustainable future. Participating with companions both inner and open air the healthcare sector, CSH engages mavens, sufferers and the wider crew in knowing the connections between successfully being and the environment, whereas cutting again healthcare’s resource footprint. For added data gape https://sustainablehealthcare.org.uk

• The NHS Woodland is a community of healthcare sites working to transform their green home to realise its stout ability for successfully being, wellbeing and biodiversity, and to relieve engagement with nature. The initiative is traipse by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, an just UK charity, as section of its Green Situation for Well being Programme. For added data narrate over with: https://nhsforest.org/
• For added data on the price of air air pollution to the NHS: https://www.gov.uk/govt/publications/air-air pollution-making exhaust of-all-our-successfully being/air-air pollution-making exhaust of-all-our-successfully being#:~:text=It’s estimated that between,shall be £1.6 billion
• For added data on the woodland creation targets: https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-declare/uploads/2023/06/Progress-in-cutting again-UK-emissions-2023-Chronicle-to-Parliament.pdf
• For added data on green home and employee wellbeing: https://www.bitc.org.uk/wp-declare/uploads/2021/05/bitc-toolkit-environment-ignition-thepowerofnature-may21.pdf
• For data on NHS personnel illness rates: https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/all-is-no longer-successfully-illness-absence-in-the-nhs-in-england
• For data on why green spaces are critical for the NHS: https://nhsforest.org/wp-declare/uploads/2022/02/Situation-to-Breathe-Rotund-Chronicle-.pdf

For media enquiries referring to to CSH, the Green Situation for Well being Programme, and the NHS Woodland, please contact una.devlin@sustainablehealthcare.org.uk