King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has opened the UK’s first outdoor critical care roof garden, enabling intensive care patients to receive treatment outdoors while remaining connected to full life-support systems.
Located above the hospital’s 60-bed critical care unit in south London, the rooftop facility can accommodate up to six patients at a time.
Each bed space is linked to specially designed medical cabinets supplying power, data and medical gases, allowing patients to continue receiving intensive care treatment in an outdoor setting.
The project forms part of the hospital’s wider King’s Critical Care Centre, one of the UK’s largest specialist intensive care facilities, which supports more than 5,000 patients and 15,000 family members every year.
The rooftop garden unit was designed by landscape architect Nigel Dunnett and the garden designer Sarah Price Landscapes.
The architect for the wider Critical Care Unit project was BMJ Architects.
The main construction contractor for the rooftop garden itself was Carmelcrest Construction, with Kingston Landscape Group acting as landscape subcontractor.
The rooftop space has been engineered specifically for critical care use, with bespoke planters, weatherproof infrastructure and integrated medical equipment designed to operate safely in an external environment.
The space combines clinical infrastructure with therapeutic planting, including rosemary, sage, oregano and tactile species intended to encourage interaction with nature.
The garden also features glazed viewing areas overlooking nearby Ruskin Park.
Dr Tom Best, Clinical Director for Critical Care at King’s, said many patients spend weeks or months in intensive care and can experience delirium and confusion during long stays in clinical environments.
Best said the garden would support the hospital’s aim of caring for patients’ mental wellbeing alongside physical recovery.
As part of an ongoing research programme, the hospital’s critical care team will study whether access to the garden improves recovery outcomes, reduces patient length of stay and supports the wellbeing of families and staff.
The project was funded through a £2m donation from King's College Hospital Charity alongside additional support from the Trust.