Queen Camilla opens and praises a new rooftop garden at St George’s Hospital, calling it a wonderful sanctuary for patients with brain conditions and a meaningful addition to the neurosurgery ward.

The project is backed by research-informed aims that suggest nature-based rehabilitation can boost motivation, mood regulation, and cognitive and sensory-motor function for brain injury patients.

Laura King, founder of the foundation in memory of her husband, emphasizes the garden’s impact on patients and families, citing her husband’s case and the absence of windows in her own hospital room as inspiration.

St George’s Neuro Intensive Care Unit handles around 850 admissions annually and operates with 14 beds.

St George’s Hospital Charity, the NHS trust’s charitable arm, supported more than 180 projects last year, benefiting over 110,000 patients.

The garden can accommodate up to six beds and features weatherproof medical cabinets that provide power, data, and medical gases to mirror internal unit care.

Dr. Tom Best, Clinical Director of King’s Critical Care, notes that exposure to nature can reduce delirium and improve recovery outcomes for long stays in critical care.

The event underscores the hospital’s focus on patient wellbeing and the broader potential of healing spaces in medical care.

Overall, the project highlights patient wellbeing and access to nature as integral components of the hospital’s treatment and care approach.