Projects West Dereham Gardens

What we did

Landscape

Client

King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust

Location

King's Lynn

Awards

Winner - Excellence in Collaboration, Engagement and Influence - Landscape Institute Awards 2023
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Our landscape team was commissioned by the NHS to create a serene garden space for patients, carers and staff of the West Dereham Ward at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn. The ward provides integrated care for older people and has recently undergone a comprehensive redesign to become the second dementia-friendly unit in the hospital.

The Trust’s aspiration for the public realm was to create a secure, accessible garden that empowers patients with a sense of ownership and truly enrich their day-to-day lives. To develop the brief, PRP held a series of co-production exercises with the Trust and local people impacted by dementia, such as members of Kings Lynn Dementia Café and Carer’s Voice. This allowed us to ensure that the final outcome truly reflects the needs of users.

We then developed multiple concept sketches incorporating different ideas for the space’s layout and the activities it could host, whilst responding to and enhancing the garden’s existing features. The options were displayed in King’s Lynn Dementia Café, to ensure that staff, carers, patients and families all had a say in the design process, and subject to a vote.

A set of dementia-friendly design principles governed our developing landscape design, each of which addresses a unique difficulty experienced by someone living with dementia. By adhering to these dementia-friendly design principles, the new garden fosters independence for those with dementia, motor difficulties, visual impairments and wayfinding issues alike. Encouraging movement, exercise, socialisation and quiet reflection builds a sense of normality and structure into a daily routine, which can significantly augment a holistic treatment plan delivered in conjunction with medical support.

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