When spending time in East Cleveland Primary Care Hospital’s Tocketts Ward you wouldn’t be in the wrong for forgetting you were in a hospital setting.
That’s because it has been given a vintage makeover to help its patients, who often have dementia, feel less anxious and a little more at home.
The new wall graphics, inspired by local landmarks in Saltburn and Loftus, have transformed the ward’s dining room and day room.
The dining room’s serving hatch has been decorated like an ice cream parlour, similar to one you might see on Redcar seafront, and features large wall prints of a traditional tearoom, Saltburn’s brightly coloured beach huts and its iconic cliff lift
A little further down the corridor, old photographs of the local area and memorabilia have been used to transform the ward’s day room into a ‘front room’ where patients can feel nostalgic while doing their physiotherapy.
Heather Collins, who has worked on Tocketts ward for 12 years and was ward manager for over two, said she was thrilled that local printer MT Print Darlington managed to transform their idea into reality for their older patients.
She added: “We really wanted to transform these areas for our patients to improve their experience and help their rehabilitation process, as a ward team we are thrilled with the results. We couldn’t have achieved this without Our Hospitals Charity and MT Print Darlington’s help, patience and guidance.”
It’s a yes from Susanah
The new décor got the seal of approval from patient Susanah Muir. She said: “It’s absolutely fantastic; you don’t feel like you’re in a hospital. I can’t fault the staff here neither.”
When the weather is a little warmer, patients can now also enjoy views of the East Cleveland hills from a colourful balcony that has been done up as part of the makeover.
