Creating connections
Halstead Hospital is a small hospital with health care services including cardiology, diabetic medicine and X-ray imaging. It has a mix of in-patient and respite beds, as well as running outpatient services.
A partnership between the RHS, the NHS and The League of Friends of Halstead Hospital has resulted in the creation of a wellbeing garden in its grounds. Designed by garden designer Dave Green with biodiversity and resilience to climate change at its core, it’s used by patients as part of their treatment and offers staff a quiet place to take a break from their demanding roles. The garden also provides a suitable environment for green social prescribing.
The wellbeing garden opened in 2024. Funding was provided by NHS Property Services and The League of Friends of Halstead Hospital, while ongoing maintenance – which requires weeding, tidying, sweeping and occasional replacements – is handled by a mix of volunteers, with some from Provide, a care provider that runs two wards at the hospital, and from friends of the hospital, as well as staff and local residents.
Dr Alan Symington, Chairman Halstead Hospital League of Friends, said:
“The garden has added to Halstead Hospital’s therapeutic and rehabilitation role. As well as being a restful place, it allows patients to reconnect with nature and get their hands dirty through planting and growing. It also gives staff a quiet place to rest.”
The garden includes raised beds with herbs and vegetables, a wildlife area, grasses and perennials for sensory stimulation, seating overlooking the Colne Valley and wheelchair and frame accessible paths. As Essex is the driest county in the UK, the garden priorities drought-tolerant planting.
The RHS Community Outreach team delivered a seasonal activity programme covering a full growing year, to ensure NHS staff and volunteers have the skills, knowledge and confidence to maintain the planting and raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity.
The Halstead Wellbeing Garden is one of 12 gardens being built around England in collaboration with the NHS Property Services. Funded by NHS Property Services’ Corporate Social Responsibility department, the gardens aim to improve the biodiversity of community-based centres, while also creating outdoor spaces suitable for green social prescribing and other therapeutic treatment. This programme is funded separately from funding used for frontline care.
