Expressing Room on Gosset given makeover thanks to staff, fundraisers & donors.
Bernie Hargreaves, Theresa Wright, Jenna Leeder, Elizabeth with mum, Catherine, Carly Stone with son, Noah.
Elizabeth Kairis cutting the ribbon
Thanks to the Gosset Shared Decision Council and the wonderful charity supporters of the ward, the expressing room has undergone a huge makeover this year.
A huge amount of work went into making the changes to this important room so a big thank you to everyone involved, especially Jenna Leeder and Lucy Brown from the Gosset Shared Decision Council and who took the lead on the project.
To help decide what changes needed to be made Ward staff circulated a questionnaire to mothers so they could provide their honest feedback about the room.
The responses indicated how it was cramped and unwelcoming; the chairs were uncomfortable and it lacked privacy.
“Before the refurbishment the old room was very small and uninviting for mums.
Taking into consideration the many comments we would hear from those using it, we decided to do something about it,” said Jenna Leeder, Ward Team Assistant,
“We are so delighted that the charity awarded us funding to make these changes, which will help provide the kind of comfortable space mums should be able to experience at often such a worrying time for them.”
Before the refurbishment you walked through the door and had to step around a large fridge standing in the way.
Furthermore, using the big screens to screen off an area took too much effort for a mum who has just had a C-section.
The room has been completely renovated and decorated – it now looks clean and tidy whereas before it looked tired and gloomy.
The heavy screens have been replaced by curtains instead that can easily be drawn round.
The room looks fresh and new without feeling too clinical.
The chairs have been replaced with the new more comfortable ones, and they recline easily whereas the old type took too much effort to do so for ladies who might have just had major surgery.
Expressing Room sign
The small kitchen area in the room has been developed but scaled back so there aren’t so many cupboards taking up space and the new fridge freezer is more compact and out of the way.
“Following the renovations, we distributed the same number of questionnaires.
The results showed that the mothers were pleased with the room and find it welcoming, clean and tidy.
They said they could have a hot drink and sit relaxing in the chairs making the expressing experience more comfortable and calming.”
New mum Carly Stone said, “I had used the expressing room both before and after it was refurbished and one of the improvements that made a difference to me was that I could access a hot drink and food from a fridge in the Expressing room rather than having to walk through the ward to the family room the other end.”
All of this would not have been possible without the amazing support from our donors and fundraisers in the local community.
We are so grateful to each and every one of them who have allowed this refurbishment to happen!
With the refurbishment complete, Northamptonshire Health Charity worked with Jenna to arrange two official opening events for both staff and donors/fundraisers.
We want to celebrate the huge difference the transformation to this room will make to mums on the ward and thank our supporters, without whom such changes could not happen.
Sending out a very special thank you to Theresa Wright, Gareth Bartley, Michelle Munday & Wendy Stone, 6-year old Elizabeth Kairis, Will Malloy & Print Data Solutions, Trudi Stripp, Tanya Charter and to Mark Warren & Harley’s Runners.
It is thanks to your fundraising and donations that Northamptonshire Health Charity were able to support this project for Gosset.