Patients at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital (GRH) now have access to a state-of-the-art 24-bed ward costing £4.5 million.
The facilities are part of a wider scheme which has seen more than £100 million invested to deliver centres of excellence across both Cheltenham and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals. The new ward aims to deliver better care for the elderly with some emphasis on those suffering from dementia and those considered acutely frail.
Explaining how the wards updates will help patients, Dr Sangeeta Kulkarni, a Consultant Geriatrician, said, “Each bay has been colour coded when painted, meaning it’s dementia friendly. Therefore, patients who may walk away from their beds can navigate back much more easily. The floors are matte vinyl because shiny floors or floors with speckles in them are known to confuse and disorientate dementia patients.”
The ward has been outfitted with four bedded bays, eight-sided rooms with dedicated ensuites and a new lift as well as a new staff room with a pantry available for cooking and cleaning, with dedicated storage.
The ward has updated furniture with bedside USB ports, and the latest technology to better monitor patients.
Speaking on the development Professor Mark Pietroni, Medical Director, and the interim Chief Executive, said, “This is a very exciting milestone for the team and the trust more broadly as we provide the next generation of care in line with our vision for two centres of excellence.”
The new ward is part of a wider-reaching series of building work improvement programmes, beginning in 2021, and has already seen such improvements as a £6.5m radiology department, and a new £1m medical same-day emergency care (SDEC) unit open at Gloucestershire.
The SDEC unit has enabled more patients to be seen and treated on the same day, which has reduced hospital admissions and the pressure on the Emergency Department.
Rhianna Dobson-Love, Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist, added, “We come to work to do our best for our patients and these facilities will play a big part in helping us achieve that. It means we’ll be better able to support effective patient discharge into the community.”
