Team members from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn take a first look at new Health Hub
In her monthly Ward Round column, QEH CEO Alice Webster looks at exciting new projects...
Earlier this month team members from The QEH were able to take a first look tour of the new King’s Lynn Health Hub in South Lynn. The Health Hub will see some QEH outpatient services, including a maternity hub and rehabilitation therapy, being delivered alongside primary care services in a modern, purpose-built facility.
This exciting development will make these essential services more accessible to our patients as well as give our staff a clinical workspace in the centre of the community. It’s great to see such an investment in healthcare services in West Norfolk and we look forward to this new facility being ready to use later in the year.
Improving the experience for our patients is at the heart of everything we do at the Trust. This year we’ve seen some new projects continue to develop which are doing just that.
Our virtual ward is now fully operational, giving patients the opportunity to continue their recovery from the comfort of their own home. The virtual ward monitors carefully selected patients closely to ensure that they are continuing to recover, but it allows them to recuperate quicker and in a familiar place rather than in hospital.
Patients are given a monitoring pack that sends results to dedicated doctors to review on a regular basis. We’ve had some positive feedback from patients who have used this service so far.
Earlier this month we launched new colourful containers across all our wards to help patients find their dentures and hearing aids when they are in hospital. These bright pink and orange pots, generously funded by our League of Friends, make these essential items easier to spot.
I have been a nurse for many years and know first-hand how easy it is for these to be mislaid, particularly if a patient is moved to a different area. These new pots will make such a difference to patients and staff. The lack of these essential items can make meal times and conversations very difficult making patients feel isolated and disorientated. These new pots will be labelled with the patient’s name for them to take home and keep.
The prospect of an operation or procedure in hospital can be daunting – especially for our younger patients when they are unsure what to expect. Thanks to a new app our young patients can now go on a virtual tour of the children’s ward and meet animated doctors and nurses to help reduce anxiety ahead of coming in for an operation.
Little Journey gives children and their families the chance to prepare for surgery ahead of time – using real photos of our facilities the app explains what to expect on the day of their procedure.
One final piece of good news, I’m pleased to report our car park buggy has extended its hours due to popular demand. The volunteer-led service, which assists patients and visitors with mobility issues to get around our site, will now run weekdays from 9am to 3.30pm.
The service was set up following feedback from visitors who voiced concerns about walking up the hill to the main building. We’ve received excellent feedback on our buggy and it’s great to see this wonderful service driving around our site helping people in need.
