Nicer environments can reduce stress during an anxious visit to hospital and can also aid recovery. But with pressures on the NHS, improvements can be difficult to fund without detracting from patient care.
Here are a few examples of recently funded projects:
1950s Dayroom for Dementia
On any given day up to a third of adult inpatients across all specialties will have either acute confusion or a pre-existing diagnosis of dementia in our hospital. While the major risk factor for dementia is age, there are currently 45,000 people in the UK under the age of 65 living with dementia.
These patients can find the environment disorientating and frightening and may consequently become even more confused. However, there is much that can be done to help them adapt. We have funded two 1950s day rooms for two of our wards to improve the environment for our patients.
The day rooms on Kimberley Ward and Holt Ward have under gone a very special makeover with walls tastefully decorated in 1950s-style colours with items which may be familiar to some of our patients.
The Environment team at the Trust has sourced fantastic furniture including a TV and radio and pictures with our older patients in mind.
Many people with dementia remember the past much more clearly than more recent events.
We have worked hard to make the rooms relevant and comfortable to those using it. It is known that being in an environment like this can enhance feelings of comfort and help relieve stress. It can also help improve a patient’s memory and in turn improve communication.
Patients can play games with family, staff and volunteers, listen to music and look and pictures from their youth.
Weybourne Day Unit
The WDU provides chemotherapy for many cancer patients. The unit has doubled in size and the environment of the unit was funded by the N&N Hospital Charity. The environment is now a calming and co-ordinated with comfortable chairs for patients and carers. As someone said, it feels like a lovely boutique hotel.
