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Lundy Ward Named National Champions For Enhancing Patient Dignity

LundyThe Lundy Ward team at North Devon District Hospital have been crowned the overall winners of the Enhancing Patient Dignity Award at the Nursing Times Awards for their work to create an adaptable and enhanced side room called The Snug.

The Nursing Times Awards are one of the biggest awards in healthcare and celebrate excellence in nursing. The Enhancing Patient Dignity Award recognises nurses who are maximising patients’ dignity by delivering compassionate care.

The side room on Lundy Ward functions as a day-to-day acute hospital bed, but when a patient with specific needs is admitted, the room can quickly be transformed into The Snug with a few simple changes.

The Snug gives patients and their carers/families a more private, welcoming and dignified space when it is most needed, such as when patients are at the end of life, or when patients with dementia or a learning disability are admitted.

Darryn Allcorn, chief nurse at Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “I am incredibly proud of the team on Lundy Ward. I know they worked really hard to make The Snug happen and this recognition from the Nursing Times is truly well deserved.

“Most importantly, The Snug has had fantastic feedback from patients since it launched in June. What started as just an idea has grown into something much more, and it couldn’t have happened without the outstanding compassionate care and determination of our nurses.”

When the side room is turned into The Snug, patients and their loved ones have access to a tea and coffee station, where drinks can be made without calling a member of staff.

Handcrafted blankets and cushions, sensory lighting, aromatherapy diffuser and de-escalation aids help to create a peaceful environment that is as homely as possible whilst still maintaining full clinical functions. There is lots of entertainment from talking books, music and a TV/DVD player.

There is a comfortable chair and a put-up bed so that a loved one/carer can stay overnight, and meal vouchers are provided so they can focus their thoughts on spending valuable time with their loved ones.

Jo Murdoch, staff nurse on Lundy Ward, led the project to create The Snug. She said: “The Snug is a place of safety, nurturing, understanding and guidance for patients and their loved ones. It’s a patient-led innovation – through listening to feedback from patients and their loved ones, we have developed a home-from-home environment where they can spend valuable time together when they need it most.

“This concept is far more than just a room with a kettle. It is about seeing the person behind the condition, building a deeper understanding of our patients and their loved ones to assist us with delivering their wants, wishes and beliefs. We want to share this concept and have a Snug on every ward at NDHT, and ultimately we would love to see every hospital across the country providing their patients with a similar environment and experience.”

Gemma Lilley, sister on Lundy Ward, said: “It was amazing to win the Enhancing Patient Dignity Award, and I hope that other trusts across the country will see that a simple idea from ward nurses can achieve great things when they get the support they need. I am so proud of the team for what they have achieved.

“It has been quite a journey to turn the idea for The Snug into a reality, but by putting patients right at the centre of our planning we now have this fantastic space that will support our patients during very difficult times. We are excited to see this vision grow across the Trust and into other hospitals.”

 

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