Research and Evaluation
The evidence base for the Defence Gardens Scheme is underpinned by a Masters in Social and Therapeutic Horticulture and a Churchill Fellowship which provided the opportunity to travel to Scandinavia and the USA to study nature based therapy for armed forces personnel with poor mental health. See the Fellowship Report. Sally Coulthard, the DGS Founder and Managing Director, is a committee member of the Defence Research Network and through this network maintains national and international research connections.
Transformational Nature- based Prescriptions. In March 2023, DGS was delighted to be awarded a three year Transformational Grant by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust . This funding will enable us to bring together four gardens across the UK- The Eden Project, Cornwall in England, Linburn Walled Garden in Scotland, Woody’s Lodge in Wales and Ashes to Gold in NI. Each garden will deliver two DGS programmes and capture enhanced qualitative and quantitative data so that we can produce a Social Return on investment Report.
Research design is led by BRAVO VICTOR Our overall aim is to engage with policy makers and commissioners with regard to Social Prescribing policy development.
DGS team members are routinely approached to take part in webinars and wider studies. For example;
DGS has recently been invited by the New York Botanical Garden Veterans Horticultural Therapy Programme to collaborate over research and evaluation as well as programme design and development. DGS research and practice delivery team members are involved. We are all delighted to share and develop our work internationally with the US team that Sally met on her Churchill Fellowship.
Julia Durbin, head of DGS delivery at the Eden project, Cornwall, was interviewed by Sue Stuart-Smith for her book, The Well Gardened Mind.
Imogen Jackson who leads DGS delivery in Wiltshire has lectured at the Ness Botanic Gardens at the University of Liverpool as well as taken part as a panelist for the Chartered Institute of Horticulture.
Sally Coulthard, DGS Founder and CEO took part in the SHIFT Nature and Health Summit in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA in October 2020.
IMPACT AND EVALUATION
Evaluation is undertaken in health and social care environments to establish how well an intervention is working. It is important to determine the quality and effectiveness of services within the statutory and third sectors. Care providers are required to demonstrate that they are using resources to deliver care and services most efficiently and effectively, while service providers need to ensure that they are continuously improving the delivery of services for clients and practising with the best evidence base.
Evaluation is a crucial component of DGS. It is used to track progress and identify whether individuals would benefit from additional support. In 2020, the 10 week programme has been the subject of a comprehensive evaluation for a Masters in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy at the University of South Wales. The recommendations from this study are influencing programme refinement and development. DGS uses the following evaluation measures and assessment:
Short Warwick and Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scales (SWEMWBS)
Office for National Statistics 4 - Life Satisfaction Questionnaire
The Wellbeing Thermometer
Feedback forms capture individual perspectives that allow the team to refine the programme with client feedback.
Looking Ahead
Programme refinement will follow the principles of co-production. Through independently facilitated groups we shall ensure the programme remains client centred. The aim is to include client representation on the governance team in order to:
1. Ensure ongoing consultations with service users to shape the development of the DGS offer.
2. Identify evolving client needs
3. Include the clients' voice
