A brand new 20-bed ward at Nottingham City Hospital has welcomed its first patients. The Jubilee Unit, which opened on the hospital campus on Monday (January 30), is part of Nottingham University Hospitals' (NUH) drive to reduce surgery waiting lists.
The digestive diseases ward will support patients who have undergone operations such as on the colon, rectum, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile ducts. One of its first patients, Sylvia Woodhouse, from Long Eaton, said the ward was "very nice".
The 73-year-old, one of two patients in the ward on Wednesday, enjoyed a spacious private room, with an adjoining bathroom. She said she had waited around nine months to have part of her bowel removed and a stoma fitted after experiencing pains last May. Her operation took place at the end of last week.
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"I was dragged down kicking and screaming," she joked to Nottinghamshire Live. "But I must admit they did it very well and I've been quite comfortable. I’m hoping to go home tomorrow."
Ms Woodhouse said, while she missed talking to fellow patients, she appreciated her own personal space, particularly at night. "It was nice being at Queen's and talking to other patients, I got used to it," she said.
"Long term I'm not sure how people will feel, I guess that's the new way of treating people. But it's nice at night as you have your own space."
On staff she added: "I can't fault them - they're all so nice and can't do enough for you." The modular ward was constructed off site before being lifted into the City Hospital campus.
Work is also under way on a new theatre block, which is due to open in late spring. Ward sister Michelle Baker said new patients on the ward had compared it to a hotel.
"It's great, this is set out really nice. Patients say it's really nice, two were transferred from QMC on Monday and they were very impressed," she said. "They got their own individual side room and they felt like it was a hotel, that's what they said to me."
The 44-year-old, from Heanor, added: "It's not been designed with a massive input of nurses so we've just been tweaking things to how we'd use them on a daily basis, but it's a lovely building. Just things like getting bins and clocks, the big equipment is here and working brilliantly but it's just the little things that you don't always think about."
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