Stroke patients benefit from new garden at the RD&E

Patients on the Acute Stroke Unit at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust are now able to relax in a new, upgraded garden. 

Work began on the garden in Autumn 2018 on the Acute Stroke Unit, otherwise known as Clyst Ward, to convert the area from a space that was not easily accessible or beneficial to the recovery of patients, into an area which improves overall wellbeing and that patients can enjoy. The garden is now easily accessible from the ward with a wide range of brightly coloured plants in raised flower beds for patients, staff and visitors to enjoy.

Research has found that outdoor settings provide multiple benefits for patients. These include a calming effect on patients, which can result in decreased blood pressure and lower stress levels.

Nicky Green, Matron on Clyst Ward, said: “Already the garden is being enjoyed by our patients and their relatives. It gives people a quiet area to go to, enjoy the outdoors, and a break from the hospital environment.  It gives patients a focus of somewhere they can walk to, as part of their therapy, or be taken to with their family or staff. The garden provides a conversation piece for the patients as well as a break from the routine of their hospital stay.”

The work on the garden has been funded thanks to generous donations to the Trust.