Working with the NHS to refresh green social prescribing resources
Supported by the New Forest National Park Authority
The Green Health Hub works with NHS healthcare professionals to promote mental and physical health and wellbeing improvements for people through connections with nature.
Read below to hear from registered Public Health Practitioner Phil Godfrey on his work on placement with the Green Health Hub, his motivations, and insights through his experience and expertise.
Introducing Phil Godfrey
My name is Phil Godfrey and I’m a registered Public Health Practitioner with an MSc in Public Health and more than 10 years’ experience, currently working as a Public Health Development Manager for NHS England.
I specialise in workforce development and I am an experienced behaviour change trainer, building and delivering cross-system programmes that drive sustainable health improvements.
Why work on the Green Health Hub matters to me
I’m fortunate enough to live within walking distance of some wonderful New Forest trails and spending time in nature is my reset. It offers me mental clarity, resilience, and exercise, all at once.
I’m committed to inclusive practice and want to help people access the well-evidenced health benefits of being outdoors, easing pressure on NHS services while tackling health inequalities.
This aligns with the push for prevention and community-based care and green social prescribing in the NHS’ 10 Year Health Plan, as well as the New Forest NPA’s Partnership Plan 2022-2027, which seeks to develop a ‘Natural Health Service’ through partnerships between the health and environmental sectors.
It also sits alongside a broader personal passion of mine for Forest-based wellbeing initiatives that are equitable, person-centred, and environmentally responsible.
Working with the New Forest NPA gives me the chance to link my personal values and professional experience with practical action on the ground.
About my placement
I’m leading a comprehensive review of the Green Health Hub – a digital directory connecting people to nature-based wellbeing activities in the New Forest – with a focus on building capacity and capability in the green social prescribing workforce.
This centres on making the Hub more accessible and effective for underserved communities. I aim to build connections among social prescribers, link workers, and activity providers so more people in the New Forest area can benefit from nature-based support.
I plan to do this by designing training materials informed by behaviour change theory, fostering connections, and by providing recommendations to make green health services more accessible.
I’m also delivering a free-to-attend Connect and Learn event to bring activity providers and those working across the referral pathway together to demonstrate green health activities and provide training to support healthy conversation skills.
My work builds directly on the New Forest NPA’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2021-2024 which prioritises equitable access to green spaces for underserved groups.
By auditing the Green Health Hub, developing MECC-aligned (Making Every Contact Count) tools for social prescribers, and developing system links with PCNs (Primary Care Networks) and VCSEs (voluntary, community, and social enterprise), this placement advances those objectives into 2026 and beyond.
More about my background
I am the lead for the UKPHR scheme in Hampshire supporting the local workforce to gain a professional qualification through a quality-assured 12 month programme.
This ensures people in the public health workforce are competent to operate effectively and autonomously as Public Health Practitioners.
I have also led on the MECC (Making Every Contact Count) training programme across Wessex, equipping thousands of frontline staff to deliver short conversations that support behaviour change and reduce inequalities.
A flagship project I developed and coordinated is See Change – a South East behaviour change training programme funded by NHS England and delivered by experts from the University of Manchester. This equips teams to design and deliver evidence-based interventions across prevention priorities, with resources shared regionally.
