Hospital’s £1m dementia ward given thumbs-up

Dignity in care at the forefront

A NEW 10-bed ward for older people with dementia has been opened at the Royal Oldham Hospital.

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas conducted the ceremony at the new Cedars Ward — a modern, effective facility designed to provide inpatient care.

The £1 million scheme took six months to complete, and Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, a specialist mental health trust, says it stands as a testament to the benefits of having clinicians, staff and carers working in direct partnership with the architect and design team.

Bosses say this helped to convert their values into a physical environment with the issue of dignity in care at the forefront of minds.

They claim the finished result demonstrates the trust’s commitment to improving the patient experience with:

::Patients getting their own rooms and en suite facilities configured for ease of use.

::Plenty of natural light and access to the garden and living accommodation which is pleasant, modern and safe.

::Staff having ease of observation and being readily on hand.

The work is part of a programme of modernisation in older people’s mental health services in Oldham between Pennine Care, Oldham Council and NHS Oldham, to ensure the services are of a high quality and able to meet complex needs.

There has been a move away from hospital-based services through developing and strengthening services in the community.

In Oldham, there are around 2,500 people living with dementia, with most of these cared for in their own homes or community settings.

It’s believed older people can find life in hospital difficult and being admitted can mean it is less likely that they will return home.

Whenever possible the trust aims to provide high-quality treatment and choice to older people without admission to hospital.

But where admission to hospital is unavoidable, the aim is to make sure that age-appropriate specialist facilities are available.

A trust spokesman said: “The drive for equality means older people should expect services based on their needs, equipped to deliver specialist care, but in accommodation that is of equivalent standard to that afforded to the rest of society.”