Day room provides a home from home for patients

A newly opened day room is improving the experience of patients at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

Situated on the St. Augustine’s Ward for medically fit patients preparing for discharge, the space was used as a day room prior to the pandemic. However, it had become an office and storage area in recent years. This October it was renovated and reopened to patients with dining facilities, comfortable armchairs, table football, a television, a stereo, and a selection of DVDs, CDs, and games, among the many facilities on offer.

Available to patients from across the hospital, the homely room encourages people to mobilise and socialise.

The project has been made possible due to the incredible efforts of healthcare assistant Mark Bailey, with the full support of colleagues, including ward manager Darren James and the Trust’s dementia nurses Gemma King and Tina Olver. Resources have been provided thanks to the fundraising of the dementia team and kind donations by the East Kent Hospitals Charity.

Mark is responsible for coming up with an ever-changing rota of exciting activities, including bingo, games, quizzes, and themed days.

He said: "It has been really popular. We thought we may get 10 people here a day, but we are already up to 15-20.

"Every week I will plan the activities for the next week. We have bingo a couple of days, table top football, table tennis, and quizzes. It allows people to use their brains and have a conversation. Musicals are on a Monday, Friday is a fun day with comedies like Dad’s Army. People can sit down, watch a film, and listen to music from the 40s right up to the 80s and 90s. If they want to go down memory lane, they can. There’s something for everyone.

"The space gives people time to get away from the ward and have a bit of time out of the more clinical setting. They can come down here, take part in activities, or just take a moment to themselves. Families will visit, and it gives them a space to sit together, which is ideal.

"A lot of the patients have said they really benefit from being off the ward. It’s a more normal environment and feels like a home away from home. Patients meet people from different bays, and it’s almost like a reawakening to life as they chat. You see friendships building here with people arranging to come down at the same time.

"We are already planning for Christmas. We are going to put Christmas decorations up and a Christmas tree. We are also going to put flyers on the ward so all the patients know about it. They can come down here and make a decoration that they can put on our tree, take home, or gift to their family."

Darren said: "The whole team has worked to make this happen, Mark especially. We had the space there and knew we wanted to utilise it.

"We have games, toys, books, anything the patients might want. It gets them up, gets them socialising and eating together. Sitting up, walking down there—it all helps prepare for discharge."

Head of East Kent Hospitals Charity, Dee Neligan, said: "The St Augustine’s day room was first opened in May 2018, thanks to a significant funding commitment from East Kent Hospitals Charity, as part of our Dementia Appeal.

"We are delighted to see the room back in use- making a huge difference for patients during their stay with us. We regularly provide a large number of sensory activities and distraction items for patients living with dementia, which are used in this room. This is all thanks to the support of our amazing donors."