Birthday bash at Basingstoke hospital facility (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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Birthday bash at Basingstoke hospital facility
4:00pm Thursday 16th August 2012 in Local By Helen Morton
Ward manager Claire Eastick helps a patient cut the birthday cake
A FACILITY designed to help older patients as they leave Basingstoke hospital has celebrated its first birthday.
The Firs step-down facility – a £1.4million 18-bed development behind the main hospital building, in Aldermaston Road – provides rehabilitation for older patients in a less formal setting than the hospital.
Patients can wear their own clothes, visiting hours are more relaxed, the unit has its own kitchen and communal dining room, and the walls are decorated with paintings donated by art students from Basingstoke College of Technology.
Patients are encouraged to become more mobile and independent, and are helped with their confidence in performing everyday tasks.
Each patient is given a special individual plan to help make the most of their time there and to give them back all the tools they need to successfully leave the unit and live independently at home.
The nursing staff at The Firs, including hospital consultants, GPs, therapists, dieticians, social workers and discharge coordinators, attended a first birthday event last week, along with patients and guests.
At the celebration, organised by ward manager Claire Eastick and The Firs, guests enjoyed refreshments, a raffle, and a slice of birthday cake. Up until the end of June this year, 356 patients have stayed in The Firs, with the average stay around 11 days. The majority of patients are successfully supported to be discharged home.
