New community ward opens at Gainsborough hospital

A new community ward has opened at John Coupland Hospital in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.

Work began last year to transform the former Morton Suite into the £4.5m Scotter Ward.

The 17-bed ward includes a larger palliative care suite and four beds for stroke patients.

Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust said the ward would play a vital role in preventing patients from having to be admitted to one of the county's larger hospitals.

Over the coming weeks, staff will relocate from their first-floor ward at the hospital and start to care for patients in the new area, which is on the ground floor.

Patients can be transferred to Scotter Ward after a stay at a larger hospital, when they might be ready to be discharged but not well enough to return home.

Other patients are admitted because they have been seen in A&E or an urgent treatment centre and the community ward is better suited for their needs.

Special attention has been paid to the colour, lighting and design to create a more relaxing and stimulating place for people with dementia, the trust said.

A decision was also made not to have a nursing station in the middle of the ward and instead to have a desk in every bay.

Scotter Ward clinical team lead Donna Phillips said: "This is such a proud day for me and everyone who cares for patients on our ward.

"It is wonderful to see all of the detailed planning, hard work and discussions come to fruition."

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