Dr William Bird

Investing in a Our Natural Health Service Dr William Bird BTCV Ambassador Strategic Health Advisor Natural England

St Bernard, France 1000 years ago
“… The sick man sits upon the green lawn…he is secure , shaded from the heat of the day. For the comfort of his pain all kinds of grass are fragrant in his nostrils. The lovely green of herb and tree nourishes his eyes….the choir of painted birds caresses his ears…the earth breathes with fruitfulness .”
Cooper Marcus, C Barnes, M: Healing Gardens, Therapeutic Benefits and design Recommendations: Wiley 1999 (P10)

Our Natural Health Service HEALTH HEALTH

What are the Inputs Environment Individual Sustainable Health Equality Community Inequalities Unsustainable

What are the outputs of our Natural Health Service Sustainable Productivity Healthy Environment Healthy People

What are the health benefits of contact with Green Space
Improve mental health and so reduce stress, anxiety, symptoms of ADHD and depression
Increase physical activity and reduce obesity in all ages
Encourage Social Cohesion and reduce isolation .

How Stress can be seen as a major public Health Problem Chronic Stress Anxiety and Depression Raised Inflammatory Markers Diabetes Cardiovascular Disease Lung Disease Cancer Physical inactivity and Obesity Social Isolation Reduced access to Greenspace Social Inequalities leading to environmental injustice

Green Gym Cost Benefit
Green Gym costs £4031 per QALY, which is significantly less than the £30,000 ceiling normally applied by NICE
A cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 2.55, so that, for every £1 invested in Green Gym infrastructure, £2.55 has been saved in the treatment of inactivity related illness

Equivalent medical intervention
The cost per QALY of statins was estimated to vary between around £10,000 and £17,000 for patients between the ages of 45 and 85.
In comparison to smoking cessation costs of between £221 and £9,515 per QALY.
(Lets Get Moving HMSO 2009)

Building a fair society

Mortality in groups of exposure to green space, relative to group 1 (least exposure to green space) Mitchell R Popham F; Effect of exposure to natural environment on health inequalities: an observational population study The Lancet, Volume 372, Issue 9650 , Pages1655 – 1660, 8 November 2008 . Building a fair society

Our Natural Health Service
Freely available for all
Benefits
Mental Health
Physical Activity / Obesity
Social
Highly Cost effective
To become integral to the NHS

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Dr William Bird

by BTCV on Feb 26, 2010

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Dr William Bird — Presentation Transcript