NHS Green Estate

Introduction

NHS Highland is the custodian of a significant outdoor estate across 25 hospitals, 126 GP practices, 25 care homes and other locations and facilities. Overall, this resource is currently under-used and under-valued; there is significant scope for changes in how we manage the space and a need to secure investment to realise it’s full potential and improve patients, staff and community health and wellbeing, while providing a space for nature. The NHS Climate Emergency & Sustainability Strategy: 2022-2026 sets the policy context for this work, with valuing, protecting and managing our greenspace and land stewardship laid out as key priority areas.

Current Greenspace Projects

New Craig’s Greenspace Project

New Craig’s hospital underwent extensive greenspace infrastructure improvement works as part of Our Natural Health Service Demonstration Project. The site benefitted from development of a dementia friendly garden, wildflower meadows and an orchard. These areas are currently maintained by Apex Highland. A Quality Improvement Project is underway at the New Craig’s Orchard in the Cala area, this provides a framework to measure how improvements and interventions increase use of the site, the aim is to integrate some of the apple harvest into the hospital catering provision in 2024.

Apple Harvest 2024 – Part of Highland Climate Week celebrations

  • Over 52kg of apples picked
  • Some were used in occupational therapy activities
  • Some used as ingredients in hospital catering dishes
  • Some were taken home by staff and patients
  • Patients and staff helped with the harvest. The activity brought back memories for some, a patient shared, ‘I remember scrumping as a child!’ while taking part.

Raigmore Gardens – Growing Together

Raigmore Gardens (SC052922) is a registered charity who aims to develop a garden project on the grounds of NHS Highland and Highland Council to the benefit of Raigmore Estates, NHS Highland, our staff, patients and families and the wider community. A Therapeutic Garden Facilitator was employed by Highland Third Sector Interface to progress the development plan in 2024. The project is part of a wider network under NHS Forest.

Pie chart shows cumulative proportion of greenspace and urban habitats for the Highland NHS sites. Buildings 22.37%, developed land, sealed surfaces 32.51%, build up areas and gardens 0.38%, other temporary ponds and scraps 0.38%, other coniferous woodland 0.22%, other mixed woodland 2.26%, other broadleaved woodland 2.11%, reedbeed 0.22%, lowland fen 0.22%, upland heath 0.03%, other hazel scrub 0.02%, dense scrub 0.24%, gorse scrub 0.5%, hawthorn scrub 0.02%, willow scrub 0.18%, mixed scrub 2.11%, rhododendron scrub 0.07%, bracken 0.04%, modified grassland 28.86%, holcus-juncus neutral grassland 0.15%, other neutral grassland 6.84%
NHS Highland Habitat Mapping Project

NHS Habitat Mapping Project

Thanks to funding and support from NatureScot, a habitat survey has been completed of NHS Highland Sites. This survey provides useful information for us to begin thinking about setting short & long term objectives for our greenspaces in terms of nature and biodiversity. We have compiled a summary the results of the survey and the biodiversity enhancement recommendations.

Projects in the Pipeline

We are interested in speaking to anyone with an existing greenspace project on NHS grounds that are not included here and anyone with a new greenspace project idea, get in touch!

Contact

If you have an idea for a NHS Highland Greenspace project or would like more information please get in touch with Kate Thomson via email at: kate.thomson@nhs.scot.