Enhancing Patient Experience at West Heath Hospital
Thanks to kind donations and fundraising, including funding from The West Brom and the Jack’s Supports scheme, the Enhanced Care Team (ECT) at West Heath Hospital have been provided with arts and crafts supplies, pamper items, and games to help them offer fun, relaxing, and mindful activities to inpatients at the hospital.
West Heath Hospital houses 3 community wards including a palliative care inpatient centre (Willow House) and a dementia unit. Many of the patients seen at the hospital are there for quite some time, and as such providing varied entertainment and activities can be a challenge. ECT member Tracy Jones approached the Charity Team with regards to funding extra items to provide entertainment, promote relaxation, and relieve stress and anxiety for patients across the hospital.
The Charity provided a range of arts and crafts supplies for patients to use to make decorations for their bedsides or cards for their loved ones. Hand care pamper products were also provided so that ECT staff could give patients a relaxing hand massage and take care of their nails. One patient reported that they felt “very well taken care of” and felt that this was a luxury they had not expected whilst in hospital that “greatly improved my stay”.
As well as crafts and pampering, the charity also funded radios for the wards, as patients had reported feeling isolated, particularly during periods of lockdown or quarantine at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The radios allow patients to feel connected with the world by being able to keep up with the latest news, as well as being able to listen to music to relieve their boredom. Tracy says, “The patients are so grateful and really appreciate being able to do the activities and get pampered.”
