Outdoor Critical Care Roof Garden opens at King’s College Hospital
29 May 2026 - Patients can receive full life support, while experiencing the therapeutic benefits of greenery, fresh air and natural light
King’s has become the first hospital in the UK to open an outdoor Critical Care garden on its roof.
The King’s Critical Care Roof Garden is located on top of the hospital’s 60-bed critical care unit, allowing patients to receive full life support, whilst feeling the therapeutic benefits of nature.
The roof garden has space for up to six beds, allowing each patient to be close to a specially designed weatherproof medical cabinet which houses power, data, and medical gas supplies analogous to the care patients would receive on the unit.
Conceived as an extension of Critical Care, patients can be safely cared-for outdoors, without being disconnected from essential life-support systems.
The Critical Care team will be able to use the space to research how exposure to fresh air, greenery and sunlight reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and improves the well-being of patients, their families and the staff who care for them.
Dr Tom Best, Clinical Director of King’s Critical Care, said “Some of our most unwell patients spend weeks or even months in critical care receiving intensive and often invasive treatment to give them the best chance of recovery.
“Many experience hallucinations or delirium in the clinical environment, which can be extremely frightening and delay recovery. Research shows that time spent in nature can reduce delirium, improve recovery outcomes, and lift the spirits of patients and their families.
“It’s important to treat the whole person and this outdoor critical care unit helps meet our goal of caring for the mind as well as the body.”
The project was funded by a generous £2m donation from King’s College Hospital Charity, plus some funding from the Trust. The charity raises money to improve patient experience and enhance innovation at King’s.
Iona Joy, Director of Grants and Insight at King’s College Hospital Charity, said: “We are delighted to have funded this visionary project, which is about more than medical excellence. It’s about dignity, humanity, and innovation. We are transforming intensive care into compassionate care — where science, technology, and empathy work together to save and rebuild lives.”
The garden was designed through a collaboration between globally renowned landscape architect Nigel Dunnett—Professor of Planting Design, Urban Horticulture and Vegetation Technology at the University of Sheffield—and British garden designer Sarah Price, a three-time RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist.
The interdisciplinary approach between Sarah and Nigel informed a thoughtful and intentional planting strategy. Aromatic species, including rosemary, sage, and oregano, were incorporated alongside native species and tactile plants such as lamb’s ear, resulting in a low-maintenance garden designed to encourage active engagement rather than passive observation.
As part of ongoing research by the department, the Critical Care team will study whether accessing the garden improves patient recovery and reduces length of stay, as well as tracking patients’ long-term physical, cognitive and psychological outcomes. There will be an additional focus on how families and staff benefit from using the space, particularly in managing stress levels.
Professor Clive Kay, Chief Executive of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The opening of our roof garden is an important milestone for our hospital; a project dedicated to those with serious and life-threatening conditions. It’s been built with purpose and guided by the needs of patients and their families and reflects a deep commitment to dignity, support, and hope. I’d like to take this opportunity to recognise and thank King’s College Hospital Charity, as well as colleagues at the Trust who have made this possible. Their expertise, dedication, and compassion are at the heart of everything we do at King’s.”
The King’s Critical Care Roof Garden is the final part of the King’s Critical Care Centre, one of the largest bespoke intensive care facilities in the UK and possibly Europe. This vital hub supports over 5,000 patients and 15,000 loved ones each year.
At the time of writing, we have been saddened by the news of Nigel Dunnett’s very recent passing age 63. King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust would like to pay tribute to Nigel, who was integral to every aspect of the King’s Critical Care Roof Garden.
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