In an initiative to promote wellbeing and wellness for staff and visitors, NatureFix has been introduced at various sites across Northern Sydney Local Health District.
Supported by a digital app, signage, mobile audio, research data, and promotional materials, the NatureFix program aims to connect people with nature in a meaningful way.
Across five NSLHD hospitals, the digital platform transforms some hospitals green spaces into wellness places, unlocking the health benefits of nature through short self-guided mindfulness experiences carefully matched with natural features known to improve wellbeing.
Jonathan Noyes, NSLHD’s Healthy Built Environments Manager, said the program helps foster a connection to nature.
“Each wellbeing zone includes a series of short wellness audio routines designed to help increase self-care and encourage meaningful moments in nature to improve mood, energy, and focus,” he said.
''This initiative provides our staff with wellbeing benefits and supports them to continue to provide high-quality patient care for the community.''
But NatureFix offers more than just personal wellness.
It also provides an opportunity to learn about the traditional custodians of the lands on which these sites are built.
Acting Deputy Director of the NSLHD Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Service Adam Cryer highlighted the program’s cultural impact.
“The fantastic thing about the NatureFix app is that people are actually able to stand on Country, close their eyes, and feel how these places would have felt thousands of years ago,” Adam said.
“They can understand how our mob engaged with the land and the water.
“The ability to have such strong cultural knowledge shared by Elders through stories is very powerful.”
This added knowledge, announced August 6, enhances the original 2023 roll-out of the NatureFix program at Mona Vale, Royal North Shore, Hornsby Ku-ring-gai and Macquarie hospitals, and the Manly Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice.
The NatureFix app was launched in 2024 as part of this broader initiative by the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) to promote wellbeing through nature connection.
The app, available on the App Store and Google Play, provides guided mindfulness routines and nature-based exercises to enhance mood, focus, and overall wellbeing.
The finessed app is still available across five NSLHD sites— Mona Vale, Royal North Shore, Hornsby Ku-ring-gai and Macquarie hospitals, and the Manly Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice.
How it Works
- Download the free NatureFix app via the App Store or Google Play. You can scan the QR code to be taken to NatureFix on the right store for your device.
- Visit one of these hospital's NatureFix zones, connect a set of headphones to your device and immerse yourself in the experience.
- If you don’t have a device, you can follow the steps on the NatureFix signs provided at the NSLHD's sites.
- You can also try the App's solo activities that can that can be enjoyed at any time, in any natural place near you.
Including as little as 20 minutes of NatureFix activities per week may make you feel:
- More appreciative of place
- More connected with nature
- More productive
- More relaxed
- Less negative
- Happier
Download the flyers and maps and visit this page for more information and find out more here.
Mona Vale Hospital Nature Fix Zone: Village Green; Nature Fix Zone Flyer
Mona Vale Hospital Nature Fix Zone Site Map
The roll out of the Nature Fix at Northern Sydney Local Health District hospitals is not the only way Mona Vale Hospital is still leading the way for better health care in NSW, as can be read below.
Mona Vale Hospital’s Urgent Care Centre Becomes first in NSW To Roll Out ECAT
