Critically ill patients are recovering with the help of an improved Intensive Care Unit (ICU) garden at Tunbridge Wells Hospital.

ICU patients face a long battle back to health and may spend weeks in hospital, being supported by expert teams at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) who deliver the most complex care available to around 1,000 critically ill patients every year.

The garden, which has been improved and developed thanks to a generous legacy left to the Tunbridge Wells Hospital League of Friends, helps support the mental and physical wellbeing of ICU patients during what can be a very stressful and difficult time. It can give patients time away from the clinical area and the chance to meet family, friends – and sometimes even their pets – outside.

It can also be helpful for young children who are visiting relatives to see them in the garden rather than in the ICU environment which can be stressful and overwhelming for patients and visitors.

The new, improved garden features a paved area with raised flower beds, benches and ‘living walls’, with mobile planters making the space accessible for patients in beds or wheelchairs.

The work was funded by a generous bequest from the late David Nicholson, who worked for nearly 40 years at the old Pembury Hospital alongside his wife Joyce, who worked in Pathology. In his Will, he remembered the Tunbridge Wells League of Friends, with the wish to enhance an outdoor space at the Hospital.

The garden is also used by physiotherapy and occupational therapy teams for rehab, where it helps the patients take a break from their normal routine. It includes electrical points, so patients can enjoy the space even if they still need support from specialist medical equipment.

Alejandro Suarez, Matron for ICU at Tunbridge Wells Hospital said: “For the past couple of months, we have been able to take patients into the newly improved garden. The positive impact it has had on their mental wellbeing is immeasurable. We are proud to offer this enhanced space for our patients. This beautiful space empowers us to use the outdoors as a goal in their recovery journey.”

Speaking at the official opening event on 3 November, Trust Chair, Dr Annette Doherty said: “I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Carol Nicholson, the daughter of David Nicholson, whose generous legacy made this beautiful garden possible.

“David dedicated nearly 40 years of service to the old Pembury Hospital and left a bequest to enhance an outdoor space at the Hospital. Today, we stood in that space — a vibrant and welcoming garden designed to lift the spirits of some of our most unwell patients and their families.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved in the project, especially the Tunbridge Wells Hospital League of Friends for helping to bring this garden to life, and for their ongoing support and generosity, which makes a difference to our patients, visitors, and staff year after year.”

Carol Nicholson added: “Having spent a lot of their working lives at the Hospital, it is fitting that there is going to be a memorial to them, and I think David and Joyce would approve of the garden; getting fresh air and seeing plants, flowers and nature can aid recovery for those who are seriously ill and recovering from major operations or trauma…I really hope this garden will be a cherished place for staff and patients.”