Patients using a renal ward at Addenbrooke’s are to benefit from a more colourful and relaxed approach to hospital life thanks to a legacy from a Cambridge woman.
Ward C5 has undergone a £400,000 nature-inspired transformation paid for using money gifted to the Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) by Marcia Cunningham – whose best friend had worked on the ward.
Ann Cooper is a sister working in medical outpatients at Addenbrooke’s and was Marcia’s best friend.
She said: “I worked on the renal ward many years ago and she was always interested in what we did. I had no idea that she was leaving the money to the renal service! She lived a very simple quiet life and was the most kind, warm and thoughtful person who enjoyed people.”
Each of the ward’s 24 beds now has a decorative unit at the head, behind which essential services like medical gasses, nurse call, electrical sockets and lighting can be housed. Keeping them out of sight helps maintain a more relaxed atmosphere on the ward to help assist patients in their recovery.
Each unit also has the option of offering dialysis for the kidney patients – reducing the need to move them to another area for treatment.
Addenbrooke’s is believed to the first hospital in the UK to benefit from the head units – which feature a range of floral and leaf-inspired designs. Each unit automatically illuminates if a patient leaves their bed during times of low light and will light up to guide staff to the appropriate bedside in the event of a patient call or cardiac alarm.
The bedheads have been provided as part of the £400,000 refurbishment project, which includes comfortable furniture, artwork, new nurses’ station and a waiting room.
Laura Wilton-Cox, senior sister on C5, said: “It looks amazing and will make a real difference to all the patients who will use the ward. We are very grateful to Marcia for the donation. I hope what we have done with her legacy to improve the wellbeing of patients on the ward would have made her proud and a nice touch is it also features her favourite flowers and trees.”
Shelly Thake, ACT’s CEO, said: “This is a wonderful example of how working in partnership with the hospital can make great things happen. We are hugely indebted to Marcia for her generosity, which has made such a difference for patients on ward C5, enabling them to be treated in altogether more inspiring and comfortable surroundings. Her kind legacy will be felt by many for years to come.”
When Lucas Harvey-Bowman was six weeks old, he was diagnosed with a rare heart condition. “We were looked after extremely well. Lucas received outstanding care from the cardiology team, and here we are thriving today,” says his mum Jess. “To show our gratitude we are leaving a gift in our will to help support their valuable work. We cannot thank Addenbrooke’s enough.”