NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

This is as a partnership project with NHS Assure, HPS and NatureScot to identify the extent and location of the NHSGGC outdoor estate and to develop site by site information on natural assets such as habitat and biodiversity.  This information is being utilised in the development of a network of high quality, accessible and environmentally important green and open spaces for patients, staff and visitors across NHSGGC.

At a strategic level, NHSGGC sites with the greatest potential to contribute to locally significant woodland and grassland networks have also been identified through a mapping exercise with GCV Green Network.  It is intended that future green/open space projects on these sites will maximise this contribution through targeted measures. Next steps will also include expanding the data set to develop a tool with wider application to sustainable estate management, climate change adaptation and biodiversity across the NHSGGC area.

This project links to Theme 4 in the framework – Data mapping and monitoring.  Significant collaboration was undertaken in the development of the data. This took place over a number of months in 2023 and 2024 and initially involved PHS mapping estate boundaries across all sites, in consultation with NHSGGC.  Estate mapping was supplemented in 2024 by NatureScot funded UKHABs surveys, carried out on sites greater than 0.2 hectares in size.

Simultaneously, GCV Green Network has been developing Nature Networks across the eight local authorities that comprise Glasgow City Region to help meet a new requirements placed upon authorities through the 4^th National Planning Framework.

An opportunity was identified for NHSGGC and GCV Green Network to work together at a strategic level.  Draft Nature Networks data were mapped against NHSGGC site information in an exercise designed to highlight NHSGGC sites with strategic importance in  contributing to woodland, grassland and active travel networks in the Greater Glasgow area.

The information gathered from this collaborative exercise is already being used to develop the greenspace network across NHSGGC sites and to promote external connectivity.  For example, potential to contribute to the local Nature Network has become a consideration in the development and design of greenspace projects on particular sites.  Beyond this, it is hoped that the mapping data can be expanded to include other significant factors, such as flood risk and building management information.  In this way, the mapping data becomes an important tool in promoting sustainable estate management, climate change adaptation and biodiversity across the Board area.