Now doctors prescribe ALLOTMENTS to help with loneliness or muscle and joint ...

A GP surgery has begun prescribing allotments to patients with stress and mobility issues.

The May Lane Surgery, in Dursley, Gloucester, is offering gardening spaces to people with social isolation or joint pain to get them fitter – and onto a healthy diet.

Doctors say they have previously been recommending exercise or the gym, but allotments come with the added benefit of an improved diet full of fruit and veg.

Alternative medicine: The allotments were built by Down To Earth Stroud, a not for profit community organisation, over the last two years, at a cost of £25,000

Alternative medicine: The allotments were built by Down To Earth Stroud, a not for profit community organisation, over the last two years, at a cost of £25,000

Patients can make a cup of tea, chat, meet others and develop bonds and grow cabbages, cauliflowers, leaks, red onions, carrots, potatoes, radishes, and herbs.

Dr Simon Opher, of the surgery in Dursley, Gloucester, says medical experts 'sometimes medicalise problems which have a different solution'.

He says the allotments are to to be used alongside traditional treatments such as medicine which remain effective.

Dr Opher said: 'Sometimes I think doctors can medicalise problems which have a different solution. 

'Diet and exercise are as important as most drugs. It's good to get your hands dirty and it's good to be outside.' 

Interest has grown in social prescribing as more people begin to see it as a way to avoid prescribing too much medication and to improve people's overall wellbeing. 

'The process is someone would come to see you as a doctor and they would perhaps have mental health issue such as depression,' said Dr Opher.

'Sometimes they might be isolated and lonely – others may have had a heart attack and might feel worried about doing exercise again. 

'We have evaluated the patients response and it is interesting to see their progress, physically and mentally.

'There is an improvement in their social isolation and improvement in diet. 

'There seems to be a perceived change in their diet; they are all growing organic vegetables and eating them which is interesting.'

Helpful: The surgery started prescribing the allotments two years ago. One bed is sponsored by Macmillan for patients who are recovering from cancer

Helpful: The surgery started prescribing the allotments two years ago. One bed is sponsored by Macmillan for patients who are recovering from cancer

The allotments were built by Down To Earth Stroud, a not-for-profit community organisation, over the last two years, at a cost of £25,000.

There are 41 plots, five of which are currently used by the GP surgery, with plans for it to take over a further 10.

Other health practitioners in the area, including physiotherapists and occupational therapists, can also prescribe an allotment. 

It has been used to treat patients with mental health issues such as depression – and recovery from physical illness including heart attacks and neuromuscular diseases.

Gardening 'can be better for you than pills' says Health Secretary 

Doctors should prescribe more gardening, ballroom dancing and art rather than reaching for

read more from dailymail.....

NEXT Health service initiative offers patients a chance to see a GP on the same day ... trends now