LONDON, United Kingdom – King’s College Hospital has opened the United Kingdom’s first rooftop garden designed specifically for critical care patients, offering a unique outdoor rehabilitation space aimed at improving recovery and wellbeing.
The pioneering facility welcomed its first patient, 29-year-old Hollie Allan, on Thursday, May 28. Allan, who relies on feeding tubes, described the experience as uplifting after spending extended periods indoors.
“Wow, it’s lovely. It’s sunny as well. It’s lovely,” she said. “I think it gives you a real boost to keep on going when you’re stuck inside all day. There’s no motivation to really try and get back to normal life. It feels lovely. I don’t want to leave.”
Located above the hospital’s critical care unit, the outdoor rooftop ward can accommodate up to six beds. The facility is fully equipped to provide life-support treatment outdoors, including access to electricity, oxygen supplies, and other essential medical services, while allowing patients to benefit from fresh air and natural surroundings.
A Step Forward in Patient Rehabilitation
Critical care consultant Phil Hopkins said the project represents an important step forward in patient rehabilitation.
“It’s going to be absolutely critical to the NHS going forward because a lot of what we do is about rehabilitation,” Hopkins said. “Saving people’s lives is important, but making sure that when they leave intensive care, they leave in a way that they’re not going to come back and that they’re returning to their normal lives in the best possible shape.”
The £2 million project was funded largely by the King’s College Hospital Charity and is intended to improve patient wellbeing while helping to humanise the intensive care experience.
Hospital officials said the innovative space reflects growing recognition of the role that access to nature and outdoor environments can play in supporting both physical and psychological recovery for critically ill patients.
Source: Reuters
