Hospital Garden Project Approved for Camborne and Redruth Sites

The outdoor areas at Camborne and Redruth Community Hospital and Longreach are set for a transformation this summer after NHS Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust secured funding through the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing.

The project has been awarded a grant of around £5,000 as part of the NGS Elsie Wagg (Innovation) Scholarship, funded by the National Garden Scheme. It was one of just five successful applications from 30 submissions and is the only community hospital project to receive the funding.

A joint application was submitted by Sue Greenwood, Matron at Camborne and Redruth Community Hospital, and Jane Pearce, Matron at Longreach. Alongside the funding, the project will also receive a year-long programme of support from the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing.

Bringing outdoor spaces back to life

Work is due to begin this summer, with plans to improve and revitalise the outdoor areas so they can be enjoyed by patients, families and staff.

Sue Greenwood said:
“It’s wonderful news. With this funding we can now go ahead with work on the areas around Camborne and Redruth Community Hospital and Longreach.

“This site needs a bit of love. I have a picture of this hospital in the 70s. You would not believe it. It looked stunning, there was flowers everywhere. It was very well looked after. And if you look at it now, you think, ‘oh’.

“It was all just looking a little bit unloved. We wanted to do a few bits and pieces. We talked about it, and Jane and I put together an application (for the scholarship).

“It will be lovely to have an area where people can go and relax in when they are not in the hospital, whether that’s patients, their families or staff.”

Plans for relaxation, wellbeing and recovery

The project will focus on creating spaces that support wellbeing, including areas for relaxation and time away from clinical settings. Early ideas include a covered pergola where staff can take breaks or hold meetings outdoors, as well as pathways allowing people to walk around the grounds.

Jane Pearce said:
“Our staff do not have massive areas where they can take a break, take a rest, connect with the nature that’s around them. Some of the plans include a covered pergola so that people can go and have Teams meetings outside. We want people to be able to walk all the way around.

“We know that nature is good for people. It’s good for staff. It’s good for recovery.”

Interest from staff has already been strong, with more than 100 responses received within a week of a survey being shared.

Jane added:
“We sent a survey out and we’ve already had over 100 responses in a week, which is incredible. Everybody is really keen to see this project develop into something we can all enjoy.”

Community effort and future plans

The work will also involve restoring the hospital’s old rose garden and introducing areas where vegetables can be grown and tended by patients and staff.

Sue said:
“Having these things can improve people’s health and wellbeing, and they can be enjoyed by staff and patients.”

The project ties in with the Trust’s clinical strategy, which includes a goal for half of clinical practices to take place outdoors or in non-traditional settings.

Support is already being lined up from a range of partners, including local companies, the Guild of Friends and horticultural students from Duchy College. Gardeners from the National Garden Scheme will also provide advice and guidance.

Jane said:
“It’s going to be a real collective effort. We have been attending national workshops, and they have been really helpful. We have gardeners from the National Garden Scheme coming down so we can ask them questions about plants and where to plant them, and things like that. Through this project we been given access to so much information, so it’s good to know there’s support out there.”

Work on the gardens is expected to begin in the coming weeks, with the new spaces set to be open for everyone to enjoy once completed.