With many intensive care patients spending weeks in hospital, the ICU garden was designed as a safe, tranquil place for them to spend time outdoors, escaping the constant beeping of medical devices.
Visitors are encouraged, and arrangements can even be made to spend time with pets here, under some circumstances.
The accessible paved area features electrical points to allow patients to bring essential equipment outside with them, and can also be used for rehabilitation by physiotherapy and occupational therapy teams.
ICU Matron Jane Sansom said: “We have been able to take patients into the garden for a couple of months now and there many benefits for them. Patient stays in ICU can be lengthy and very difficult.
“Patients can often become depressed and having an outside space that we can take them to can really help, and shows them that the real world is still waiting for them.”
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) chief executive Miles Scott added that the garden had been funded by the trust’s dedicated charity.
“Donations from our supporters touch the lives of patients, carers and staff across our hospitals, and we are hugely grateful for their generosity,” he said.
The ICU at Tunbridge Wells Hospital treats around 1,000 critically ill patients every year.
The garden was opened on July 5 as part of the 74th anniversary celebrations of the NHS.
