Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Whipsnade Zoo and St John Ambulance have formed a partnership to provide long-term ICU patients with therapeutic visits to the zoo as part of their rehabilitation.
The first patient to visit the zoo was a ten-month ICU patient named Andy.
After his visit to the zoo, Andy said: “I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt safe with the staff there, and it was good for my mental wellbeing.”
The initiative is the first-of-its-kind for the Trust, designed to support emotional wellbeing and encourage gentle physical activity and a change of environment for patients who have spent extended periods of time in critical care.
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