Hartor Ward day room gets a make-over

Patients staying on Hartor Ward are now able to enjoy a new, refurbished day room, allowing them to socialise with others away from their hospital bed.

Hartor Ward was awarded Dementia Friendly status this year and has been working hard to improve the environment for their dementia patients, many of whom spend a considerable amount of time in hospital due to medical and social complications.

Teresa Northmore-Beer, Ward Manager for Hartor Ward, said: “To help us improve the patients’ experience further, we wanted to have more appropriate furniture in our patients’ day room.

“We started by painting the room and staff purchased books, games and music for patients to enjoy. It was then decided that we wanted to look into purchasing more suitable chairs and a sofa, as it would make the room feel far more homely, and our goal was to make patients feel at ease when they come into hospital.

“I decided to approach the Charitable Funds Committee to ask them for their help in purchasing a three piece suite for the day room and put in a bid on behalf of the patients. It was announced with great delight that the application for funding was unanimously supported and had been approved.

“I am extremely thankful to the Committee, as we couldn’t have got the room to the stage that it is at without them. There are still a few things that I would like to improve, including the kitchen area, but I am more than happy with the results so far and the feedback has been fantastic.”