Embedding Nature-based Practice and Nature Recovery Strategies into Public Healthcare

At the heart of health is wholeness. Not simply the absence of illness, but a deep, living connection to ourselves, to each other, and to the natural world that sustains us.

This is the principle that guides Circle of Life Rediscovery CIC. Our work supports people— whether in education, health, or community settings—to come back into a relationship with nature. We recognise that individual and collective well-being is inseparable from the health of the land. The models of practice we share are rooted in this truth: that we are nature, and nature heals.

This report shares the outcomes of our recent Certificate in Nature-Based Practice (Level 3) training delivered to NHS staff in Sussex. In clinical settings, both staff and service users are often disconnected from outdoor environments—yet growing evidence shows that meaningful contact with nature improves health outcomes, reduces stress, builds resilience, and supports recovery. When healthcare professionals are given the tools, experience, and confidence to embed nature-based practices into their daily work, the ripple effects can be transformative—not just for individuals, but for communities and the systems they serve.

This is more than a training programme. It is part of a cultural shift—one that places relationship, presence, and place at the centre of care. This report offers insight into how that shift is already happening, and why it matters now more than ever.