Greener Minds pilot at Langdon in Dawlish
A six-month pilot focusing on the importance of providing green spaces and activities for patients and staff at Langdon Hospital in Dawlish, took place early this year and its key learnings are now ready to take forwards.
The Greener Minds project, in collaboration with The Hedgerow and Orchard Project, encouraged nature-based practices and nature connection involving staff and service users who value nature and celebrate Langdon’s green space and wildlife. From January to June 2026, staff and service users voluntarily came together for monthly ‘Greener Minds Gatherings’.
The horticulture space was kindly offered as the home for all the gatherings as it accommodated indoor and outdoor provisions. Each gathering had a different theme and was abundant with new ideas, discussions and personal reflections.
A key outcome from the group was the development of a wellbeing walk, named ‘The Grounds Trail’ by a service user. Through these gatherings, staff and service users were involved in walking proposed grounds leave routes and naming the areas after key features such as Evergreen Avenue and Old Oak Row. The group also discussed plans to upskill staff on nature-based practices, the practical aspects of encouraging use of the Trail such as seating locations and reinforcing a core value to pause and appreciate the land and wildlife around us.
Watch this short video about the Grounds Trail, which includes patients' voices sharing their feedback about the trail. There are also examples of patient involvement and feedback on a case-by-case basis in a resource pack about 'Becoming a nature-connected service' (pdf 6MB), created by Frances Evans, Exercise Professional at Langdon, linking the work with the NHS Green Plan. We spoke to Frances about the project.
She said: "The future of all these nature-based practices is heavily reliant on the importance placed on these practices, the people and the resources available. My hope is that people will be inspired and use this booklet as a resource for their own practice, and for those in a position to, to take forward the 'Future Directions' detailed within the pack.
"Across Devon Partnership NHS Trust there are many passionate people working hard to promote nature-based practices. Giving these people the platform, opportunity and time to share their voice and action their ideas will all but benefit our organisation and wider communities."
Michele Stevenson, Secure Lead for Occupational and Physical Therapies, is taking forward a new and exciting project to create a Nature Café in the medium secure unit. Alongside this, Michele is also emphasising the use of the Grounds Trail to be an essential part of an occupational therapy assessment for service users first section 17 grounds leave.
This collaborative approach was particularly important in a secure environment, where access to nature must be balanced with safety and operational requirements.
Map of the Grounds Trail at Langdon.