The Western Community Hospital in Southampton, UK, has opened two new wards, Conan Doyle and Keats, dedicated to providing specialist rehabilitation care.
The wards are named after renowned literary figures with connections to Hampshire, and they have already begun to welcome patients transferred from the rehabilitation wards at the Royal South Hants Hospital.
The project has resulted in the creation of two 25-bed wards spread across two floors, doubling the number of single en-suite rooms previously available.
The design of the wards includes four-bed rooms with communal dining areas to encourage social interaction among patients.
Positioned to benefit from increased sunlight, the wards feature bedrooms at one end and a courtyard, day rooms, seating areas, and a gymnasium at the other.
The improved facilities also include a larger gymnasium and an assisted daily living (ADL) suite, which comprises a combined kitchen and bedroom/bathroom setup to simulate a home environment.
This suite is intended to help patients practice daily activities in preparation for their discharge from the hospital.
The construction of the new wards was undertaken by Brymor Southern Construction over the past two years.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust chief medical officer Dan Baylis said: “This truly has been a labour of love for so many people in the trust, a project that we’ve been planning since 2019 and has had the input of our clinical teams from day one right through until completion to ensure we truly deliver the best possible facilities for staff and patients.
The Western Community Hospital already houses two specialist wards catering to complex rehabilitation needs.
With the addition of the Conan Doyle and Keats wards, all rehabilitation services in the city are now centralised at the South of England Rehabilitation Centre.
This centre offers psychological, neurological, and physical rehabilitation services.
Staff from the former Lower Brambles and Fanshawe wards at the Royal South Hants Hospital have transitioned to the new facilities.
Brymor managing director Mike Smedley said: “It has been a joy to watch this project go from the demolition of an old ward to the new, three-storey hospital building we have before us today.
“Our close working relationship with the trust has been imperative in making this project such a success and we are delighted to be able to hand over something we are all very proud of.”
