“If we’re actually here in the linen room for any length of time, we’re laughing and joking and things like that, I mean, we try and keep the morale up as much as we can.”

“It’ll take you across a little river and down across like the trees and through the greenery and then back through a different part of the hospital. So it’s really nice – by the time you’ve done it, you just feel like you’ve completely reset.”

“Or when it’s just me, I just come up and wither sit on the grass, or on the benches, usually sunglasses on if I want to be just me and noise-cancelling headphones in so I can listen to some music. Chill out on the grass for a while.”

“I come up to the terrace because it’s a breathing space and I get the sun in my face, I can smell the rosemary. I can look at the plants, look out over the rooftops.”

“It can be nice just sitting in here. And see, I’ve got the computer, so I watch YouTube, listen to music. Have a good laugh with the guy I work with. We’re happy down here.”

“It’s just a really nice space to have and – given it’s in the middle of a hospital, it’s pretty peaceful.”

“Coming in here you can kind of take a breather, take a step back, and be like: Right, this is what I need to do first.”

“At lunchtime, no matter the weather, I like to get outside, get some fresh air, get a little bit of exercise, and just have a few deep breaths outside.”

“It can get testing at times and you do need a place to hide. At the same time, where do you hide?You can’t go for a two-hour chat with your friends…so you just walk to the other end of the hospital and back.”

The Critical Care Unit at the Royal of Infirmary Edinburgh deals with sudden and traumatic deaths which can present unique […]