Over the weekend, the BBC covered the story of an outdoor intensive care unit opening at King’s College Hospital in south London, with doctor’s recognising that the outdoors could have huge benefits for these patients who've been in hospital for extended periods.

That story resonated with us as here, at Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, we have been working with the team at Harefield Hospital to improve the biodiversity of the site to aid nature’s recovery and to support the health and wellbeing of the hospital’s community. Debbie Bigg, Communications and PR Officer tells us what she learnt when she visited.

I’d heard from my colleague Tim (Hill) that he was working with the Sustainability Team at Harefield Hospital on the production of a conservation management plan for the site, following a botanical survey and increasing interest within the National Health Service (NHS) of the growing evidence linking natural environments with human health – green space = less stress. In tandem, the hospital was adopting a ‘salutogenic’ approach, one where wellness focuses on health and not the disease. This created a platform for Harefield Hospital, which is internationally recognised for treating the complex needs of people with heart and lung disease, to consult with the Trust. Its objectives being to:

•             Restore, enhance and care for nature

•             Manage the site to maximise the health and wellbeing benefits for patients and staff, including building new recovery spaces

Andrew Jackson, Environmental Sustainability Manager at Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, in which Harefield Hospital sits, has been instrumental in putting the management plan into action. Andrew filled me in on the various pots of funding available within the NHS for nature-based initiatives, such as hedging packs, woodland creation and orchards. At Harefield, a funding bid for an onsite Nature Ranger is planned, who will also support with patient and staff activities.

Based on recommendations in the plan, Andrew showed me how a new path has been put in to provide accessibility to two Borough Grade II ponds, where benches and a covered area provide a welcome retreat for patients well enough to be there, it being some way from the hospital wards. 

Those whose care needs are greater have other options though and I was fortunate to get a tour from Rosie Pope, a founder of Harefield’s Healing Garden. Rosie’s son was a heart transplant patient at Harefield in 2012/13. During that time there was nowhere easily accessible or pleasant to go outside and Rosie saw how important that was. It motivated her, and co-founder, Catherine Perry, whose father was a patient at Harefield, to work with the hospital and its charity to fundraise and create a Healing Garden for patients and visitors that was sympathetic to wildlife.

The Healing Garden is thoughtfully designed, featuring curving paths that meander and slow you down. Green is the main colour so as not to be exhausting to look at and it has several ergonomically designed benches so there are plenty of places to sit and rest. Wildlife-friendly plants adorn it - Buddleia and Verbena attract bees and butterflies and it incorporates an insect hotel and butterfly mound.

This garden does not stand alone, it is part of a patient’s journey; a new Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU) Sun Therapy Area is planned, the Peace Garden offers high-dependency patients a view of shrubs and flowers from their ward windows as well as a quiet space to take in nature, the Healing Garden gives patients and their families a place to wait or recover (some transplant patients can be onsite for over 18 months) and then there’s the wider grounds with parkland shaded by mature Oak trees and meadow, where Tim has worked with the site team and volunteers to increase the floral diversity of grassland though seeding wildflowers, and, of course, the ponds too, where dragonflies abound.

When patients arrive via the helipad in the spring and summer months, a blooming wildflower meadow awaits them. But it’s clear not all of this is just for the sake of the patients – staff, visitors and wildlife are benefitting from it too.

Rosie said something that struck a chord with me, “Let nature get involved in healing”. That’s something that’s very apparent at Harefield Hospital and something we need to hear more of!

Update June 2025

Since Debbie’s visit took place, patients in ITU have been benefitting from the sun therapy area, a nature ranger started work at Harefield Hospital last month, and the Healing Garden won an NHS Forest award.

Find out more

If you’re interested to hear more about the work the Trust is doing on its nature reserves, and in the wider community, sign up to e-news here – you’ll also be first to know about events and get top tips on how you can help nature’s recovery. 

The Trust offers advisory and consultancy services to a wide range of businesses, public bodies, clubs and organisations wishing to aid nature’s recovery. For more information email info@hmwt.org