A new outdoor space opens for patients at Glenfield Hospital
Added by Love Business East Midlands | 1 October 2026
A special courtyard garden below the Adult Intensive Care Unit (AICU) at Glenfield Hospital has been transformed into a safe, accessible and therapeutic outdoor space for critically ill patients, their families and AICU staff thanks to the generosity of supporters of Leicester Hospitals Charity and The Rotary Club of Leicester.
Phase one of the project was completed in July 2025 following a successful £50,000 funding bid through the Charity to reconfigure the space. This year, a generous gift of £10,000 from The Rotary Club of Leicester has transformed the garden to life even further.
The funding has provided dedicated transfer equipment to support patient safety to and from the ward to the garden. Seating for patients and families, sensory planting and greenery, essential garden maintenance and new pathways. There is also a beautiful willow sculpture created by a local artist.
Anthea Brookes-Elbaz, Deputy Sister, said:
“We started this project in 2022, coming out of the COVID pandemic, with a vision to create a calm outdoor space where patients, their families and staff could benefit from the positive effects of nature. As a Critical Care Sister, I know how important it is to create opportunities for patients to step away from the clinical environment and experience fresh air, natural light and a sense of normality.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Rotary Club of Leicester and the supporters of Leicester Hospitals Charity, as well as everyone who has supported our fundraising and development, for helping turn this vision into reality. This garden is a wonderful example of what can be achieved when a team comes together, and it will make a real difference to patients, relatives and our staff.”
The garden provides a calming environment that supports patients and families, while also offering an important space for staff wellbeing. It is already making a huge difference. Critically ill patients can safely be taken outside, including patients in beds, on ventilators or breathing machines, and even those receiving life support using ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine). It gives them access to fresh air, natural light, and a sense of normality away from the busy clinical AICU environment.
Victoria Sumner, Head of Fundraising at Leicester Hospitals Charity, said:
“We are incredibly grateful to the Rotary Club of Leicester for their generous support of this project. Their donation is helping to create a space that will have a lasting impact on patients, families and our colleagues at Glenfield Hospital.
“Partnerships like this demonstrate the power of communities coming together to support local healthcare. Every pound raised through community fundraising helps us go above and beyond what NHS funding alone can provide, enhancing the care and experience of patients when they need it most. We are proud to work alongside organisations such as The Rotary Club of Leicester to make projects like this a reality.
“And a huge thank you to our supporters, our colleagues and volunteers, and everyone who has helped make this project possible. Your support is helping create more than a garden; it is creating moments of comfort, connection and hope.”
