A HOST of civic dignitaries and local people were at Evesham Hospital on Tuesday for the official reopening of the newly refurbished Izod and Palliative Care Ward.

The ward specialises in symptom relief and the care of people often in the final stages of life where staff, together with volunteers, tend to the physical, emotional, spiritual, and social concerns that arise with advanced illness.

It was modernised at a cost of almost half a million pounds through a joint partnership with Macmillan and the Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust.

Matron and hospital manager Sue Lahiff explained: “We used to have two separate palliative care wards but we wanted both teams to work together and integrate more so we brought the wards together.

“We have also added some additional facilities, like a quiet room, and have refurbished all bedrooms and bathrooms as well as improving staff areas.

“This was really important. The building was built in 1942 and the work has brought it right up-to-date. The lighter and brighter ward is a more positive environment for both patients and staff.”

The ward was officially opened by the mayor of Evesham Jim Bulman who said it was “wonderful” to see Macmillan combine with the NHS Trust “to get facilities like this, and which are so important to the area.”

Sarah Dugan, chief executive of the NHS Trust, added: “There has been a lot of fundraising to make this happen, the partnership has been a very positive one.

“It was important to improve the environment for palliative care patients. They often have more complex health needs and it allows them to be supported in an environment which is more sensitive to their needs.”

Janet Bailey has been a volunteer at the hospital’s Izod Ward for the past 16 years.

She said: “We have been waiting for these changes for a long time, it has transformed the ward and made it so much nicer for patients.

“The surroundings make a big difference because it helps people feel more at a home during a stressful time in their lives. We are lucky to have a Macmillan ward here at Evesham.”

Chairman of the Friends of Evesham Hospital Francis Smith agreed. She said: “We are absolutely delighted with the new facility. We have not quite got a new hospital outright, but we are getting it bit by bit.”