King’s College Hospital is raising £1.6 million for a new roof garden which will even be open to patients on life-support.
Doctors hope the hospital garden will help critically-ill people who are suffering from conditions such as delirium to recover more quickly.
The garden will be specially equipped so patients can benefit from fresh air while still receiving their treatment.
The proposed garden is part of a £100 million overhaul for King’s College Hospital, which will become the UK’s largest critical care centre when a new 60-bed unit opens in two stages in summer 2018 and early 2020.
The hospital described the new build as a ‘new global standard in patient care’, in a building ‘combining technology, art and architecture’, which was designed with the help of patients.
Inside, floor to ceiling windows will overlook Ruskin Park and each bed will have screens hanging from the ceiling to both monitor treatment and show films and TV programmes, and enable patients to speak with their families and friends.
The hospital has already pledged £1 million to the appeal to complete the roof garden, with another £1.6 million still to be raised.
Dr Tom Best, Consultant in Critical Care at King’s, said “Some of our most unwell patients spend weeks or even months in critical care while they recover from life-threatening conditions.
“We know from feedback that a significant number of patients suffer from delirium as they drift in and out of consciousness, which can be very frightening and can delay recovery.
“During these prolonged hospital stays it’s vital that we care for the mind as well as the body. The new centre will use art and furnishings to create a more calming, less apparently clinical and frightening environment while still offering the latest advances in technology.
“This will enable staff to treat the patients with the very best equipment, and help patients stay in touch with the outside world to aid their recovery.”
For more information, visit: supportkings.org.uk
I dont think in my life time that hospital will ever not be a building site