The Queen has hailed a "wonderful" hospital garden providing a sanctuary for patients being treated for serious brain conditions. Camilla opened the rooftop space after touring the green oasis at St George's Hospital in Tooting, south London, which offers fresh air, trees and shrubs to help aid the recovery of tumour patients, stroke sufferers and others treated for brain injuries.
Speaking to staff and patients from McKissock Ward, a specialist neurosurgery unit, she said: "I can see the difference it makes just stepping outside into the fresh air. I'm sure all the patients here are going to benefit enormously from this – so I think you've done a wonderful job."
Partnership and Purpose
The garden was created through a partnership between St George's Hospital Charity and the John King Brain Tumour Foundation. The foundation is named in memory of a renowned chef who died a decade ago after being treated by St George's staff for a brain tumour. The space aims to improve patient wellbeing by building on research suggesting nature-based rehabilitation may help improve outcomes from brain injury by boosting motivation, regulating mood, and enhancing sensory-motor and cognitive functions.
Laura King, who founded the foundation in memory of her husband, said: "We wanted to make a difference. We're very happy the patients and their families will benefit from this garden, they will have somewhere to go. Also, if you get told bad news as John and I were – we were told he had 15 months to live – I was in a room with no windows, that was tough."
Garden Design and Patient Impact
The garden, designed by Rhiannon Williams, features small trees, shrubs, plants and flowers with seating areas just a few feet from the neurosurgery ward. During her visit, the Queen met patients enjoying the fresh air, including Catherine Oppong-Barbo, a brain surgery nurse who recently left the hospital's intensive care unit after suffering a brain haemorrhage. Ms Oppong-Barbo, 48, who has worked as a neurosurgery nurse at St George's since 2017, told the Queen: "The balcony is a haven for patients and their families, it's a space to connect while recovering."
After the visit, she added: "The balcony is a connection to the outside world after being beside lots of machines in intensive care, it makes it feel like I can breathe freely again. Now I'm using the balcony as a patient, I can put myself in their shoes and truly feel how big of an impact this is going to make."
Camilla also met staff from the neurosurgery ward and made a private visit to the ICU after stopping to chat to Matron Ma Rube Simba. The Queen joked: "You keep everybody in check?" and the matron replied: "I do make sure they do their job."
