Our therapy gardens use the power of nature to aid recovery and wellbeing
Transforming our outdoor spaces into therapy gardens encourages patients to get outside and engage with nature to support both physical and mental recovery, as well as improving their quality of life while in hospital.
Our therapy garden in Graham Stroke Unit opened in August 2024, creating an accessible space for patients to spend time away from the wards with their families and take part in positive, purposeful activities like gardening and growing food. As well as being a restorative space for their wellbeing, taking part in gardening activities can support patients’ recovery by improving dexterity, language skills and engaging in purposeful, fun activity to support therapy/rehabilitation goals.
Former gardener Ben is recovering from a brain injury in our RNRU and really appreciates the green space and opportunity to be back in nature.
“It’s an opportunity to be social with other people and have conversations. Conversations that aren’t just about, you know, how your rehab is going and when is breakfast and that sort of thing” he told Sky News when they came to find out more about the benefits of horticultural therapy and our gardens.
Benefits of horticultural therapy.
There’s a strong evidence-base for the restorative and preventative health and holistic wellbeing benefits of horticultural therapy. Some of the benefits include:
- Reducing stress: therapy gardens provide a calming space away from the clinical setting, which can help reduce stress and anxiety.
- Emotional wellbeing: taking part in garden activities like growing food and flowers encourages a sense of accomplishment and responsibility, boosting self-esteem.
- Social connection: the horticultural therapy sessions are group, social activities. This creates a sense of community, promotes peer support, and tackles feelings of isolation, supporting mental wellbeing.
- Physical health: gardening activities are graded to provide just the right challenge for each patient, to help improve dexterity, mobility, and strength.
Our horticultural therapy service is delivered by Emma Myers, supporting patients’ recovery and wellbeing with gardening and nature-based activities across the Trust. As well as the therapy garden in Graham Stroke Unit garden, the green space at the back of the acute hospital has been transformed into a fruit, vegetable and herb garden, kindly funded by Homerton Hope, the National Garden Scheme, Riney and some of our NHS partners. It’s looked after in Emma’s sessions and she has supported residents at Mary Seacole Nursing Home to transform their garden into a vegetable patch.
“It’s vital that hospital and healthcare settings are healthy environments” Emma says.
“The benefits of therapeutic gardening on people’s health and wellbeing are far-reaching and the feedback from patients, staff, and visitors has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s essential for our health to get outside with staff, patients, and their loved ones and enjoy the beautiful gardens they are growing.”
Horticultural therapy sessions are beneficial for staff, too.
Emma runs sessions with the staff as well, which enables them to take a break from their busy and stressful jobs to spend time in nature, enjoy being in a different space, and take part in calming, positive activities. They can then go back to work refreshed and ready to give their best to our patients.
It has a positive impact on staff, patients and visitors whether by taking part in horticultural therapy sessions or just by enjoying the calming green spaces.
“It’s wonderful that we can provide therapeutic care while creating a beautiful environment that improves health and brings people together.” says Chief Executive Bas Sadiq.
“Using nature to improve patient care and staff wellbeing, nurturing not just physical health but mental and emotional wellbeing too, is a really special thing. We’re proud of our gardens and green spaces at Homerton and the positive impact they have on patients, staff, and the environment.”
The horticultural therapy service is supported by our charity, Homerton Hope.
Read the story by Sky News after they visited our therapy gardens.