Critical Care Unit Rooftop Garden at Kings College Hospital : A World-First In External Critical Care Provision

We recently visited King’s College Hospital to chat with Malcolm Hankey, Director at BlueLight Management, about the newly developed Critical Care Unit Rooftop

Garden – a world-first in external critical care provision.

We have worked alongside Malcolm and the wider project team to deliver the main CCU building and, most recently, this pioneering rooftop space. Designed in close collaboration with King’s College Hospital, King's College Hospital Charity, landscape architect Nigel Dunnett, WSP, Ross & Partners ltd and a range of generous suppliers, the garden brings critical care patients safely into an outdoor environment – with the same level of clinical support they receive on the unit below.

Funded entirely through charitable donations, the rooftop garden is designed to support recovery, wellbeing and connection with nature in the heart of London’s urban landscape. The ambition is that this model can be replicated across NHS sites and become a

beacon of hope for patients and their families.

Dr. Tom Best, Critical Care Clinical Director at King's College Hospital said "It is vital that we care for the mind as well as the body." Created to enhance patient wellbeing by harnessing the restorative benefits of the natural world. Research demonstrates that time spent in nature can ease stress, lower blood pressure, and elevate mood.

For individuals in critical care, these effects are especially significant, helping to lessen delirium and support faster recovery. This initiative is more than the addition of greenery, it focuses on seamlessly weaving an outdoor setting into a fully operational intensive care environment.

We’re looking forward to returning to the garden when it’s completed in a

few weeks’ time.