Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust has introduced a pioneering initiative that is transforming care and rehabilitation for long-term Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients by taking them to Whipsnade Zoo.
In a pioneering partnership involving the Trust’s Intensive Care Unit, Whipsnade Zoo, and St John Ambulance, patients recently had the opportunity to enjoy therapeutic visits to the zoo to aid their recovery. This initiative seeks to boost mental health, promote physical activity, and provide a pleasant change from hospital surroundings.
Andy, who has been in ICU for ten months and was a keen walker before his accident, was the first patient to visit the zoo and shared his experience.
“I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt safe with the staff there, and it was good for my mental wellbeing. The facilities at Whipsnade are fantastic, especially the changing places, which can be used by anyone. It’s a real leap forward to have facilities that support families with children with additional needs.
"They’ve really thought about everything. I hope these visits will be the start of something wonderful for other patients too. Yes, you have to be clinically stable, but you’re not going without the best nursing care. I’d encourage people to say yes to opportunities, have the experience, and enjoy it.
"When you’re in hospital for a long time, it can get very samey. But you can have a great day and still be very well taken care of.”
Time spent in nature
Mark and his family also visited the zoo as part of the initiative. Mark has been in ICU for eight months, and after the visit, his daughter said:
“To have a normal family outing and reconnect with Dad away from the hospital was something we didn’t realise we needed, but now we know just how much we did. Our ‘normal’ had become hospital corridors and clinical routines, and Dad had become ‘the patient’.
"But on the day we visited he was simply Dad and Grandad to his grandchildren. In ICU, you care for the whole family, not just the patient and over the last eight months, your team has gone above and beyond in doing exactly that.”
Mark with family, Trust staff and St John Ambulance at the lion enclosureBuckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust / ZSL
Sarah Shipley, matron for ICU at the Trust, says: “We’ve seen the incredible impact these rehabilitation trips had on our ICU patients and their families. Being able to spend time outside the hospital, reconnect with nature, and share meaningful moments together supports not only physical recovery but emotional healing too.
"For families, it’s a chance to see their loved ones as themselves again, not just as patients. And for our teams, it’s a powerful reminder of why we do what we do. Recovery from critical care isn’t just about survival; it’s about living.
"These experiences reinforce the importance of compassionate, person-centred care that reaches beyond the ICU.”
Patrick Conlon, Zoological Society London’s head of health and wellbeing programmes, says: “I’m proud that we’ve been able to welcome a small number of long-term patients from Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust’s ICU and their families to Whipsnade Zoo.
"Even in these early visits, we’ve seen how time spent in nature can support recovery and reconnection. Being surrounded by wildlife and open space offers moments of calm, joy and togetherness that can mean so much during recovery.
"We’re honoured to be working with the Trust to explore how experiences with nature can play a meaningful role in wellbeing and healing.”
Similarly, Savsim CIC, a veteran-centred non-profit organisation, is making strides in supporting veterans and conserving wildlife.
Its Warriors of Hope programme, which combines animal-assisted therapy with wellness support, therapeutic art, yoga, and breathing techniques, is conducted in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London and offers veterans therapeutic experiences at London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo.
