PHS commissioned research highlights health benefits of NHS Scotland outdoor spaces

New research from the University of Aberdeen, commissioned by Public Health Scotland (PHS) and SEFARI Gateway, has calculated the economic value of NHS Scotland's outdoor spaces for the first time.

The study, published today by SEFARI Gateway, is the first in the world to look at the value of outdoor green spaces within hospitals, health centres and GP surgeries used by staff, patients and their families, and the public for walking and relaxing.

The team asked people about their visits and how they valued different types of outdoor spaces. They then followed Office for National Statistics guidelines and used bespoke economic analysis to calculate the value in monetary terms.

The survey of 2,449 adults across all fourteen regional NHS Scotland health boards found that people spend roughly 87 million hours a year in NHS outdoor spaces.

The health benefits from these visits is valued at around £82 million a year, which is what it would cost the NHS to provide the same benefits through healthcare services.

The project will contribute to the implementation of the NHS Scotland Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy and builds on previous research commissioned by Public Health Scotland and NatureScot.  

Dr Neil Chalmers, Health Economist at PHS, said:

“Half of NHS Scotland’s estates comprise of outdoor green spaces with park-like vegetation such as grass and trees. These areas are well frequented for walking and relaxing, with our research estimating that approximately half the population visited an NHS Scotland open space in the past year, leading to a total of 122 million estimated annual visits.

“This has a real impact on the mental and physical health of those who visit these areas, as well as a positive knock-on effect on NHS services that can now be visualised in cost savings. This research underlines the importance of maintaining quality and accessible outdoor green spaces on the NHS estate in Scotland, so that everyone in society can continue to benefit from them.”

Find out more about the research on the University of Aberdeen website

View the full report published by SEFARI Gateway

Find out about the range of work we’re doing at PHS around environmental impacts on health