UHNM shortlisted for national NHS Forest Award

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) has been shortlisted for a national NHS Forest Award after transforming underused areas of its hospital sites into green spaces for patients, visitors and staff.

The Trust has been shortlisted in the ‘Green space on a budget’ category for its Green Space Revolution project which has created gardens, wildlife habitats and wellbeing spaces at the Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital, Stafford, for less than £1,000.

The project has seen staff from UHNM’s Estates, Facilities and Sustainability teams make use of materials already available across the Trust, including surplus timber, reclaimed paving, restored benches and propagated plants.

Lorraine Whitehead, Director of Estates, Facilities and PFI, said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for an NHS Forest Award. This recognition reflects the hard work and creativity of teams across UHNM who have worked together to transform our outdoor spaces.

“These green areas provide important spaces for patients, visitors and staff to relax, reflect and enjoy the outdoors while also creating new habitats for wildlife. We are incredibly proud of what has been achieved with very limited resources.”

Improvements include a Critical Care Garden for patients receiving intensive treatment, wildflower meadows, wooded areas created using free NHS Forest saplings, vegetable-growing spaces and a walking trail for staff at County Hospital.

The work has also created new habitats for birds, bees and other pollinators, with the appearance of the uncommon Bee Orchid at County Hospital attracting interest from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.

Louise Stockdale, Head of Transformation and Sustainability at UHNM, said: “What’s particularly special about this project is that it shows what can be achieved by working together and making the most of what we already have.

“Teams from across UHNM alongside support from our local community have helped create spaces that benefit patients, staff and wildlife. To be recognised nationally is a great achievement for everyone involved.”

The NHS Forest Awards celebrate projects that use trees, woodlands and green spaces to improve health, wellbeing and sustainability across the NHS with winners announced in October.