“One Small Part of a Wider Change” – New Enhancements in PICU and Adult Wards

Last year funding was identified for each of the PICU and adult wards in Jameson to purchase items and develop enhancements that will benefit both patients and staff on the wards. The hope is that these changes will positively impact staff morale and wellbeing.

This is an ongoing process but there are already lots of photos and bits of feedback to share:

St Charles hospital have produced a visitor’s logbook so that staff can make requests and give feedback. Here’s what people had to say:

• “I’ve worked here for ten years and I’ve never seen something like this done in the building before”
• “Lovely relaxing space away from those computers”
• “Instagrammable” 
• “Lovely idea and so needed. Thank you so much. It’s nice to feel appreciated!”

The Lead Clinical Psychologist for Adult Inpatient Wards at St Charles Mental Health Centre said: “It’s not just about the physical space. It’s about what it conveys – that we care about our staff. We spend half our lives at work so when you have staff who dread coming into work every day because of stress, I think it’s a moral obligation for us as senior managers and leaders to address this and give people the space to have respite. If you neglect the environment you work in, that will transfer on to your staff.”

She went on to say: “Staff wanted a very clear manifestation of the idea that we’re holding them in mind and that we’re moving away from a culture where staff aren’t encouraged to take breaks and look after themselves”. The Physical Health Innovation Lead for K&C, agreed and added “this is just a small part of a wider change”.

The Lead Occupational Therapist on Ferneley and Eastlake Ward, said: “the ward enhancement budget has significantly improved quality of care for our patients and it’s had a really positive impact on the day-to-day life of staff as well. In particular, it’s given us the opportunity to buy new furniture in our communal areas – this promotes social distancing whilst also enabling staff to maintain a therapeutic and safe environment where patients can be together.”

Many furniture orders are still being arranged. Across the different sites, these will include sofas, beanbags, bean pods, coffee tables, arm chairs and sensory chairs, amongst many other things.

The Acute Services Manager & Lead Nurse at Park Royal Centre for Mental Health, said: “I want the people that work here at Park Royal to feel valued and appreciated. We work under constant and unrelenting pressure. These feel like small things and I would have liked to have done more, but my amazing team were focussed on purchasing additional resources for our patients before they thought of themselves - which says it all really."

The belief that ‘happy staff equals happy patients’ is a huge driving force behind this project. Managers and leaders from across the wards hope that if staff are properly cared for, they can provide an even greater quality of care for their patients.