Brampton hospital in-patient unit reopens following £1m refurbishment

The in-patient unit at Brampton hospital has reopened. This follows a £1m refurbishment programme and the now 16 bedded unit will begin to receive patients.

Val Buchanan, community hospital manager said:

“We are extremely pleased that we are reopening for in-patients after we closed in October for the works to begin. The new unit means we are brought into the 21st century, it is so much better for patients and staff. We have much better privacy and dignity standards for our patients with en-suite rooms and more space in each room. There is a new nurses station and call system and there is an overhead hoist to make supporting patients in and out of bed far easier.”

While the refurbishment was taking place the staff were mainly transferred to work in the Cumberland Infirmary and have been supporting the response to COVID-19. Those staff will now return to Brampton and the team also welcome four new registered nurses and a new healthcare assistant.

Jonathan Kenworthy is the ward manager. He said:

“The thing that I find the most pleasing is these renovations and the extension reaffirms Brampton hospital’s place in the future of our local healthcare. The way the beds are now configured mean that we are able to care for patients in a way that we were not able to before and with the new technology and hoists we are able to care for people that we couldn’t before.”

At Brampton hospital the inpatient ward admits patients from the community who need a little more support than they can get at home or from the main hospitals who don’t need such acute care but are not quite ready for home.

Jonathan added: “The logistics of the ward, the availability of specialist equipment and the layout - giving better observation of our patients - all mean we can support more people than before to come out of the main hospital sooner or get nursing support without going into the main hospital, and all closer to home.

“Also the environment is so much nicer for our staff and patients it’s light and airy and the rooms are much larger, we are all really happy with the final result.”

Victoria Lithgow, deputy ward manager said: “The staff at Brampton hospital are delighted to be back on the ward here and able to provide care for our patients in a more comfortable and patient focussed environment. After spending eight months assisting on a variety of wards at the Cumberland Infirmary, many skill sets have been refreshed and developed which we are now able to utilise at Brampton. Particular thanks go to the staff on Elm C with whom we spent our final weeks.”

John Holland is chairman of the charity the Brampton hospital League of Friends who are expected to contribute £250,000 towards the funding of the renovations said:

“I’m delighted with the renovations and that the league of friends are able to contribute. So many people have left money to the League of Friends, in their wills and through other generous donations, specifically to make improvements to the hospital. To see our funds being used in such a constructive way is marvellous.

“The rooms look really lovely and it’s absolutely wonderful to see the hospital’s in-patient areas brought right up to date and to have its future secured. No one wants to be in hospital but if you need to be it’s important that you are as comfortable as possible and it think that’s what we can offer in a way that wasn’t possible before at Brampton.”

Hilary Holland, also from the League of Friends said: “All the people who have left money in their wills for the benefit of the hospital are really having their wishes come true, it’s absolutely wonderful to see their money is making a huge difference to the hospital.”

The building works were carried out by Postlethwaite builders.