A volunteer who has spent more than 60 years raising funds for Leatherhead Hospital was invited along to celebrate the latest refurbishment at the community facility.
Dorothy Ridley who started raising funds for the building of Leatherhead Hospital in the late 1930s, was there on Monday to inspect the latest work.
The Leach ward at the hospital reopened on Monday following building and redecoration work to convert it to single-sex accommodation to improve dignity and privacy for patients.
Male and female patients at Leatherhead Community Hospital will no longer have to share bathrooms or toilets with those of the opposite gender.
The work, which was funded and arranged through NHS Surrey’s estates department, has been completed six months ahead of the national deadline for eliminating mixed-sex accommodation.
The work is part of a project to upgrade all shared facilities in Surrey before the national deadline of April 1 next year.
Improvements on Leach ward at Leatherhead Hospital include the addition of a new specialist bath, so there is now one for each gender, as well as more toilets.
The ward has also been re-configured to give bigger, wetroom-style bathrooms, which have fewer trip hazards. The ward kitchen has also been re-fitted.
Audrey Mellers, chairman of Leatherhead Hospital’s League of Friends cut the ribbon at the re-opening ceremony.
The League funded sanding and sealing of the existing parquet flooring and the replacement of the flooring in the day room.
They also funded new televisions and wall brackets for the four single-bedded rooms.
Claire Jones, clinical manager inpatient services for Central Surrey Health, says: “The new single-sex wards greatly improve the privacy and dignity of our patients. Not only do the re-decorated wards look wonderful, this is great news for both patients and staff.”
Central Surrey Health’s three other community hospitals are also being converted to single-sex accommodation.
Ranmore ward at Dorking Community Hospital has already been refurbished, and improvements include the creation of additional toilets and bathrooms.
Work at the other two hospitals – Molesey Community Hospital and the New Epsom and Ewell Cottage Hospital – will be completed in coming months.
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