Hospital garden to have 'massive impact' - staff

There are mixed beds, new trees and shrubs and a mix of native and non-native plants in the hospital garden

A new wellbeing garden has been officially opened at a hospital in Leeds with the aim of providing a space for staff and others to relax and reflect.

The White Rose Wellbeing Garden, at St James's Hospital, was created by The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and is the first project of its kind in the region.

Hospital staff were involved in the design of the garden, and it features seating areas, an all-weather shelter and mixed beds, new trees and shrubs.

Luke White, lead nurse for quality & education in speciality and integrated medicine at Leeds Hospitals NHS Trust, said the garden would "have a massive impact".

Cutting the floral ribbon with colleagues to open the garden on Wednesday, Mr White said he would making good use of the facility.

"One of the things that people say about this site is that there's no real place to sit and think about life and reflect and have a quiet moment," he explained.

Nurse Luke White says he will make good use of the garden

The RHS opened a similar wellbeing garden at University Hospital Lewisham in 2022.

A spokesperson for the RHS said 70% of staff the organisation surveyed had reported improved mental health, citing the garden as a crucial space for decompression and recharging during challenging periods.

Attending the opening of the new garden at St James's, Clare Matterson, RHS director general, said it would make a big difference to staff, patients and visitors.

"It's usually a tough time for people to be in and around a hospital and this provides just that little bit of relaxation, reflection, recovery," she said.

"It makes an enormous difference to the wellbeing of everybody in a hospital."

The RHS's Clare Matterson says she hopes the garden will make a positive difference to its users

The hospital garden has already been in use before the official launch and Craige Richardson, Leeds Teaching Hospitals' director of estate and facilities, said it had proved popular.

"We've had fantastic feedback, so even in the inclement weather we've had in the last couple of weeks, you can see staff reading books, having a lunch, having quiet time, one-to-ones - that type of activity," Mr Richardson said.

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