From savouring the soothing benefits of nature to the feel good factor of lending a helping hand to others, it’s been the simple things that have got many through the misery of lockdown.

Now as concerns grow over impact of living through a pandemic, it appears they could be the very remedies prescribed by GPs to support our mental health.

Rather than sending patients to the pharmacy for a bottle of pills to help tackle post-Covid mental health stresses and social issues such as isolation and bereavement, GPs are being urged to consider offering nature and ‘social prescribing’ as part of patients’ care.

It could lead to them being guided towards yoga classes, outdoor exercise, volunteering and to embrace nature by going bird spotting or even walking barefoot over grass.

According to a new report from the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission and health charity Support in Mind Scotland (SiMS), non-medical approaches to tackling a range of healthcare issues would not just relieve pressure on public services in the wake of Covid, but bring a host of benefits to patients.

It has called for greater awareness and use of social prescriptions – also known as community referral - which allows GPs, nurses and other healthcare workers to signpost patients to support from community organisations, local groups and holistic hubs.

From there, patients can be supported to become involved in anything from garden volunteering to meditation, exercise or counselling to improve their general health and mental wellbeing.

The report has called for extra resources for community organisations across Scotland to help deliver tailored support for people across Scotland.

It comes as GPs at five Edinburgh practices are currently in the middle of a trial that sees them offer ‘nature prescriptions’ to patients as part of their treatment.

The five months project – due to end next month – is inspired by growing evidence that connecting with nature helps boost health and happiness. Designed to be used either in conjunction with medication or without, it includes a year-long calendar of nature-based remedies for patients to follow.

Among the suggestions for May are ‘feel good’ activities such as searching for kingfishers on the Water of Leith, listening for chaffinches in Holyrood Park and volunteering to tidy a neighbour’s garden.

The project is a collaboration between nature group RSPB Scotland and Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation, the official charity of NHS Lothian, and follows an earlier trial in Shetland which led to its ten GP practices adopting the idea.

The latest trial will gauge the effectiveness of using nature as a health tool in an urban setting, with a view to it becoming a regular offering at GP surgeries across Scotland.

Currently in Scotland, between 25% and 50% of GP appointments focus on non-medical issues, such as social isolation, financial struggles, and bereavement, according to the RSE-backed Post-Covid19 Futures Commission report.

One study in the report found that 78% of GPs reported prescribing anti-depressants despite believing that an alternative treatment would be more appropriate but other approaches were either not available or had long waiting lists. It also highlights the intense pressure on health services due to delayed medical procedures and appointments during Covid-19, as well as growing mental health issues fuelled by the pandemic.

It urges health leaders to invest in social prescribing and points to a 2019 enquiry by the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee found that social prescribing had considerable potential for preventing long-term conditions and dependence on pharmaceutical prescriptions.

However, it adds, despite the findings, the approach has not been rolled out nationally due to barriers such as funding and awareness.

Caroline Gardner FRSE, Chair of the RSE’s Post-Covid-Commission Inclusive Public Service Working Group says: “Social prescribing puts people at the centre of their own care.

“For social prescribing to become more than the sum of its parts, it needs to be embedded systematically across the whole of Scotland, matched with real leadership and resources.

“The report’s recommendations around awareness-raising, supporting a range of tailored options, resourcing the whole ‘system’, with improvements in accessibility and inclusion; must be underpinned by mechanisms for delivery.

“This cannot be a report that is allowed to sit on a shelf. The time is right for it to be enacted with and for the people of Scotland, and the RSE's Post-Covid Commission will be pressing for change.”

According to Frances Simpson, Chief Executive of Support in Mind Scotland: “Research conducted with those with lived experience of poor mental health clearly shows that they looked for support in their communities in a non-clinical, low-level setting, pre-crisis.

“Steps have been taken towards social prescribing being used across Scotland, but this report clearly states that there is much more to be done.

“There are many more opportunities for health professionals to work in partnership with individuals, communities, businesses and the charity sector to support people through social prescribing.”

Sharon Whitehouse-Logan, 43, who lives in Ayrshire, believes social prescribing has transformed her life after years grappling with the impact of having been diagnosed as bi-polar.

“Nothing was helping,” she says. “At one point I was self-harming and at my lowest I was in a psychiatric ward for a week. While the right medication took away the massive extremes I was experiencing, I was still struggling to find my way.

“When my GP suggested social prescribing, I didn’t know what it was. But it has changed my world.

“I now feel productive, it’s made me feel ‘whole’.”

She was put in touch with SPRING, a social prescribing programme which covers up to 1.5 million patients across Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Having discussed what she might feel comfortable trying, she went on to take part in meditation and reiki classes, going on to volunteer for a befriending service, and was about to join a walking group when lockdown occurred.

She adds: “I had forgotten how to socialise and be confident. This is all about finding things you enjoy and giving you aims for the future.”

Clare Cook, Social Prescribing Regional Manager at SPRING Social Prescribing says: “We’ve seen people who have been struggling with mental health problems or isolation go to their GP, where they have a 10-minute appointment to talk about it.

“Resources are so stretched that they may be added to a waiting list for further treatment or prescribed something, which may not do anything to help the person.

“But if they were referred to one of our social prescribers, they can be put in touch with someone in their local area who understands the complexities of their situation and has an excellent knowledge of local resources. That could result in matching them with a friend to talk to or integrating them in a local activity group.

“We are often told by our users “This is the first time I’ve been listened to.”