NEW therapeutic gardens are being developed at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) thanks to a grant of £88,000, awarded to PAHT following a successful bid to NHS Charities Together, that has been match funded by the Princess Alexandra Hospital Charity (PAH Charity).

Being in a hospital environment can often trigger anxiety and stress. Underused areas will be transformed into garden spaces to give patients, their families, carers, visitors, and the people working at the hospital a number of therapeutic, calm, and safe spaces they can go to for time to pause and reflect.

There has been community engagement to develop the plans. Once completed, the ongoing maintenance will be provided by a team of volunteers recruited from the local community that will include patients wanting to give something back, local residents, staff at the hospital, and the voluntary services team.

The plan is to develop a number of gardens including: 

Sensory garden, near Oslo House. This space will help support patients living with dementia and other sensory needs to have access to a calm and therapeutic environment to help alleviate distress and other behavioural and psychological symptoms.
Garden of reflection, at the back of the Sanctuary. A space for staff, patients, and visitors to visit for reflection and to process experiences.
Garden for our people, near Parndon Hall. The green areas around Parndon Hall will be transformed into an open space for staff working at the hospital to re-energise and reflect.

Following a successful bid to NHS Forestry, over 130 trees and 2,000 shrubs, have also been secured for PAHT, some of which will be used for the therapeutic garden developments.

Tom Burton, chief financial and infrastructure officer at PAHT, said: “A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes following the successful bid to NHS Charities Together, which has been match funded by our hospital charity, and I am delighted work is now underway to develop these underused spaces at the main hospital site to transform them into areas for use by staff, patients, and visitors alike.”

Caroline Ashton-Gough, Admiral Nurse and clinical nurse specialist dementia at PAHT, said: “The development of these new therapeutic garden spaces at PAH will be of great benefit for our staff, patients, and visitors, and I would like to thank everyone that has supported the process from submitting the application for the grant, to developing the plans that are now going to be brought to life.

“A special thank you to local businesses and charities who have pledged their support, which will be invaluable to the success of this project.”

Natalie Tarrant, head of the PAH Charity said: “The aim of our charity is to enhance patient care and improve facilities for patients, visitors and staff. We are delighted to be match funding the grant from NHS Charities Together and help support this very worthwhile project.”
Work began this week (Monday 3 March) on the new sensory garden, and it is anticipated the whole project will take around six to eight weeks to complete, ready for use by spring.

If you would like to find out more about how to get involved and to lend your support, please email [email protected].