Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40869770›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2025

Health Economics-Informed Social Return on Investment (SROI) Analysis of a Nature-Based Social Prescribing Craft and Horticulture Programme for Mental Health and Well-Being.

Holly Whiteley, Mary Lynch, Ned Hartfiel, Andrew Cuthbert, William Beharrell, Rhiannon Tudor Edwards

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Social Return on Investment ofBehavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Holly WhiteleyCentre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation (CHEME), Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2PZ, UK.
Mary LynchFaculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, D02 YN77 Dublin, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0001-6887-3447
Ned HartfielCentre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation (CHEME), Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2PZ, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9976-4294
Andrew CuthbertSchool of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4EP, UK.
William BeharrellThe Fathom Trust, Llanfellte Farm, Bwlch LD3 7JL, UK.
Rhiannon Tudor EdwardsCentre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation (CHEME), Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2PZ, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4748-5730

Funding

Accelerate Wales sponsored this project, which was also partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The Life Science Hub Wales led the study in partnership with three Welsh Universities. Project Number: PR-0372
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Demand for mental health support has exerted unprecedented pressure on statutory services. Innovative solutions such as Green or Nature-Based Social Prescribing (NBSP) programmes may help address unmet need, improve access to personalised treatment, and support the sustainable delivery of primary services within a prevention model of population health. We piloted an innovative health economics-informed Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis and forecast of a 'Making Well' therapeutic craft and horticulture programme for mental health between October 2021 and March 2022. Quantitative and qualitative outcome data were collected from participants with mild-to-moderate mental health conditions at baseline and nine-weeks follow-up using a range of validated measures, including the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, ICEpop CAPability measure for Adults (ICECAP-A), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and a bespoke Client Service Receipt Inventory (CSRI). The acceptability and feasibility of these measures were explored. Results indicate that the Making Well programme generated well-being-related social value in the range of British Pound Sterling (GBP) GBP 3.30 to GBP 4.70 for every GBP 1 invested. Our initial pilot forecast suggests that the programme has the potential to generate GBP 5.40 to GBP 7.70 for every GBP 1 invested as the programme is developed and delivered over a 12-month period. Despite the small sample size and lack of a control group, our results contribute to the evidence-base for the effectiveness and social return on investment of NBSP as a therapeutic intervention for improving health and well-being and provides an example of the use of health economic well-being outcome measures such as ICECAP-A and CSRIs in social value analysis. Combining SROI evaluation and forecast methodologies with validated quantitative outcome measures used in the field of health economics can provide valuable social cost-benefit evidence to decision-makers.

Indexed as

Horticultural TherapyMental DisordersMental HealthAdultCost-Benefit AnalysisFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSocial Prescribingforecastgreen crafthealth economicshorticulturemental healthnature basednature-based interventions (NBIs)preventionsocial cost–benefitsocial prescribingsocial return on investment (SROI)social valuewell-being

Identifiers

PMID40869770
PMCPMC12386064

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.