Steven Horrigan in our Estates Team have delivered a complex project to design and install a safe and secure garden for a service user at Northgate Park for Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW). The complex project has been delivered through close working with clinical teams and the service user themselves and has allowed them regular access to outdoor space for the first time in decades.

Despite being told it could never be done the team overcame significant obstacles to deliver the project. This included working with a contractor to design and deliver a bespoke one-off door which allows safe and secure access to the outside space. The service user was fully involved with the project and the team made progress videos and presentations to keep them up to date and involved in the work.

The project has had a huge beneficial impact on the service user and the team are now involved in sharing past knowledge and experience and how the project was delivered. This includes advising on a new build scheme for another NHS Trust which is progressing in Yorkshire. It shows the difference our teams can make and demonstrates our core mission of supporting better care.