Dr Daniel Poulter MP opens new refurbished Outpatients Dept

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As part of his hour and a half long tour of the Hospital, the Minister visited several wards and departments:

  • He visited A&E and talked to staff about how well they have performed over the winter period following central government’s £1.8 million investment.
  • He spent time talking to patients and staff on Kewstoke Care of the Elderly ward who have just opened ‘Bob’s Forget Me Not’ memory cafe.  Named in memory of a Kewstoke patient, the cafe has been especially created to be a quiet haven and bring calm and comfort to dementia patients. It’s filled with memorabilia from the 40s, 50s and 60s, and has a pod which plays music and TV from the era like Coronation Street and Jimmy Reeves.
  • He also dropped into the new Quality Improvement Hub. Established by doctors in the hospital, the hub drives innovation and constant improvement in clinical services.

 

Dr Daniel Poulter MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health said:

 

“I was very impressed with the commitment of the staff and management at Weston General Hospital. It was great to get the chance to meet the dedicated teams working across the hospital, open the new outpatient department and entrance, visit the facilities in the hospital, including the Emergency Department and the dementia café, and see first-hand the excellent care received by patients.”

 

Nick Wood, Chief Executive of Weston Area Health NHS Trust said:

 

“We are delighted to welcome the Minister to the hospital. The Outpatients refurbishment has created a modern facility where we can offer patients high levels of clinical care and provide staff with the very best clinical working environment.

 

“The Minister seemed very impressed with the innovations he saw for himself around the hospital. For example, our new ‘Bob’s Forget me Not’ cafe allows us to deliver more personal care to dementia patients alongside essential clinical care.

 

“The Quality Hub initiative creates a well resourced facility for doctors to improve clinical standards and has proved hugely popular with consultants and junior doctors alike.”

 

Taking seven months to complete, Outpatients has undergone a £1.8 million refurbishment in order to create:

 

  • 50 new consulting and treatment rooms, replacing an old suite of 25 rooms.
  • Specialist clinic rooms for Audiology, Respiratory and an Ophthalmology laser room.
  • Two new procedure rooms including Dermatology and Gynaecology.
  • Bariatric (treatment and care of obesity) room.
  • Planned procedure room.
  • A new, improved diabetic centre. Two clinic rooms and a drop-in centre have been created and newly positioned next to the Endocrine (diabetic) clinic replacing one room.
  • Five new Clinical Measurement Rooms (CMS) measuring height, weight and blood pressure.
  • Designated treatment room with a pod for the transfer of bloods to the Pathology Dept.
  • Phlebotomy (blood tests) has moved from the first floor to Quantock Outpatients so patients have all services positioned in one place.
  • A new waiting area for patients and a fully equipped Reception desk.
  • New self check- in digital units.
  • Staff facilities, including new coffee room and changing area.

 

The front entrance has also been completely remodelled to create a welcoming reception area and improved help and information services for patients and visitors.

 

The Information desk has been moved from the side to more central position. The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (advocacy and support service for patients) has now moved from its previous position inside the hospital to the lobby behind the Reception desk - which is staffed by volunteers from the local community.

 

The League of Friends shop, selling newspapers, snacks and hospital essentials like toiletries and flowers has a prime location in the lobby.  Costa coffee has opened a new cafe to improve the comfort services for everyone who uses the hospital.