The Benefits a Covered Outdoor Area Brings to Hospital Patients

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The Benefits a Covered Outdoor Area Brings to Hospital Patients

Creating a covered outdoor area within your hospital grounds will offer many benefits to your patients making them feel more relaxed when in your care.

The Kent & Canterbury Hospitals Sensory Garden - Pictures from East Kent Hospitals

Image Credit: East Kent Hospitals

Create a Calm, Relaxing Environment
Hospitals are full of activity and can become a very noisy and tiring environment to those who are not used to it. An outdoor canopy, shade sail or awning will create a tranquil space for patients to sit and gain fresh air and peace & quiet.

Many hospitals have created beautiful peace and sensory gardens within their grounds for their patients to gain solitude in a calm and relaxing environment. These gardens are becoming a popular addition to hospitals and with the use of canopies; these gardens can be used all year round.

The Kent & Canterbury Hospital in Kent created a sensory garden in 2012 for their Neuro-Rehabilitation patients. They created a floral garden with raised beds, a potting shed and a shaded seating area covered with colourful shade sails installed by Able Canopies.

Image Credit: East Kent Hospitals

Enable Young Patients to Play Outdoors Safely
As well as creating a relaxing area for your patients you can also create a safe and sheltered outdoor area for your younger patients or visiting young children to enjoy.

By creating a shaded area for your young patients to play outside, you will increase their confidence which can be lowered when in hospital as they are away from their family and friends.

With an accessible outdoor space, children can gain a sense of freedom and feel less enclosed in the hospital environment. And by providing shade with a canopy, you can also be reassured that the children can play safely even in hot and sunny weather as a canopy will provide high UV protection and keep the area relatively cool.

The Palladio Commercial Awning installed at Croydon University Hospital

Able Canopies installed a commercial awning at the Croydon University Hospital in Surrey in April 2012. The awning was installed in the outdoor play area for the Dolphin (Children’s) Unit. They decided to create a sheltered outdoor area for their young patients including those unable to leave their beds, so that they could play and enjoy fresh air outside. This would give the children some freedom and also, parents could enjoy some time outside playing with their children.

Here’s what Victoria Hill, Senior Play Assistant at Croydon University Hospital said about their new awning:
“Very efficient during the installation. No fuss – brilliant work.
Delighted to have the canopy. It will be perfect for the children playing outside when the weather is hot. It will be wonderful not having to move the sand and water tray to shaded areas in the play area to keep them from getting too hot (the children!).
Parents can spend more time with their children knowing they can sit in the shade watching them play quite happily. Ideal for children on traction not able to get off beds, they can be transported on their beds outside under the shade – perfect!! Many thanks.”

Able Canopies Ltd. design, manufacture and install canopies and shade structures at
hospitals, care homes and healthcare organisations across the UK, allowing our
customers to provide dry and sheltered outdoor areas to improve the wellbeing
and comfort of patients, residents and visitors.
For more information please contact us

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The Benefits a Covered Outdoor Area Brings to Hospital Patients

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