25 March 2010
Work to help eliminate mixed sex accommodation at Epsom and St Helier hospitals continues, with a £140,000 upgrade of a kidney (renal) ward now complete.
The refurbishment of Richard Bright ward at St Helier Hospital has many benefits, including further increasing the level of privacy offered to patients. The ward, which is used by people who have suffered renal failure, is named after one of the first doctors to identify kidney disease.
The focus of the work on Richard Bright ward was to ensure patients do not have to share toilet and bathing facilities and, as part of the refurbishment, a new single room with en-suite toilet and shower has been built. In addition, new washbasins have been installed and four other single rooms have been redecorated. Furthermore, the entire ward has been had a head-to-toe paint job.
Director of Nursing, Pippa Hart said: "We know from talking to patients that they find mixed-sex accommodation, including toilets and bathrooms, unsettling, uncomfortable and undignified.
"Whilst our general ward areas are already single-sex, the ongoing refurbishments will help ensure that the high quality treatment we provide to our patients is not undermined by people feeling uncomfortable having to share toilet and bathroom facilities."
Sue Woodcock is the Joint Lead Nurse for the Trust's renal department. She said: "The refurbishment was a huge project, but it really has paid off. The new bathing facilities and the renewed rooms will really help to maintain our patients' privacy and dignity.
"And the single rooms look great too - they're all daffodil yellow with blue furnishings. It's a real lift for all of our patients to be treated in a bright and tidy environment.
"Sadly, we treat some very sick patients here and that can be a very difficult thing for both the patient and their loved ones to deal with. We're pleased that we can offer our patients a quiet, welcoming space where they can get the treatment they need."
To top off the refurbishment, the director of the building firm responsible for the refurbishment volunteered to decorate the main corridor for free.
Sue said: "When the work was finished, we realised that the main corridor could do with a revamp too, but we had used all of the money we'd budgeted for the works. I was walking around the unit with David King, the director of King and Johnstone, and he just said 'don't worry - this part is on me'. And that was it, he asked one of his decorators to come in and they painted the whole of the corridor, right from the ceiling down to the skirting boards.
"It looks so much better, and it wasn't a small job either - it took the decorator a good three days to finish it off. We owe Dave King a big thank you for doing this. He didn't have to do it, but he did and it's now a much nicer environment for our patients."
