Money raised to build 'healing garden' for critical care patients at Royal Cornwall Hospital
The garden at Treliske will be completed by this summer
Thousands have been raised to build a Critical Care Healing Garden at Treliske Hospital, for patients find their cure in nature.
RCHT Charity, together with the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust’s Critical Care, Organ Donation and Building Brilliance teams have fundraised to build the garden by April or May this year.
One of the fundraisers was explorer and Covid-19 survivor Robin Hanbury-Tenison, who spent five weeks in intensive care at Derriford Hospital and thanks the hospital's healing garden for part of his recovery.
He since has raised around £100,000 to make the project happen.
"Saved my life"
Robin told us: "It's a sort of recognition of all the wonderful nurses who saved my life and all the physios later who made me fit again, because I really was incapable when I came out of hospital. It's not just the treatment in ICU that matters, it's the post-relief care".
After ending up in a coma in Derriford Hospital - Robin was told there was a 5% chance of survival or recovery.
He added: "That moment when I opened my eyes, saw the flowers, felt the sun on my face and thought, I'm going to live".
Robin continued: "Now they're beginning to understand, really the healing power of nature is a reality. Even when you're in intensive care, you're really ill, in a coma and in intensive care like I was, being wheeled out into a garden really makes a difference".
"I'm going to live"
Once complete, medical gases will be directly piped into the garden so that critically ill patients and their families can spend more time in nature. The garden itself, which is located immediately below the Critical Care Unit, will be filled with sensory plants; seating; dedicated areas for hospital beds; for patients.
The teams say these spaces are vital for the health and wellbeing of the Duchy's most poorly patients.
Read more:
Healing garden for Cornwall's critical care patients will be built this summer
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