Patients at Ripley Hospital are set to benefit from a £225,000 investment to improve rehabilitation outpatient facilities across the site.
Recent visitors to the hospital will have seen that building work has already started on the project, which is set to create a modern, fit-for-purpose neurotherapy department while also improving occupational therapy (OT) and physiotherapy facilities.
The improvements are designed to ensure patients receive care in environments that meet current NHS standards for infection prevention, health and safety, and ease of access for those with reduced mobility by creating wider doorways.
It is being made possible with £225,000 funding from Ripley Hospital’s League of Friends who have already invested nearly £3 million in the hospital to enhance facilities for patients over the past 50-plus years.
This latest investment, which is due for completion in September, will bring together the hospital's neurotherapy service into a dedicated department, replacing the current arrangement where teams work across several rooms in different parts of the site.
The new layout will improve collaboration between clinicians, create additional treatment space and make services easier for patients to access.
As part of the project, occupational therapy outpatient services will relocate to a fully accessible treatment room alongside the physiotherapy department, which will be especially helpful for therapy staff and patients as services will be in one place.
The refurbishment will also convert existing non-clinical space into additional clinical treatment rooms, while upgrading a further 11 rooms across the hospital with new flooring, lighting, sinks, decoration and wider doorways to meet modern accessibility standards.
Once complete, the improvements will deliver:
- A dedicated neurotherapy department able to treat more patients.
- Improved accessibility for patients, including wider doorways and easier navigation around the hospital.
- Dedicated treatment, waiting and office spaces to improve patient privacy, dignity and staff wellbeing.
- Better access to specialist equipment, reducing disruption to patient appointments.
- Space to support group rehabilitation sessions and virtual consultations.
- Improved facilities for occupational therapy and physiotherapy services through closer working.
A spokesperson for Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Ripley Hospital, said: “We are immensely grateful to the League of Friends for making possible this latest project to enhance the hospital for the benefit of local patients. It will strengthen Ripley Hospital's role in delivering specialist neurorehabilitation, supporting stroke and neurological pathways and helping to meet growing demand for rehabilitation services. Their generosity is enabling us to creating modern, sustainable facilities that will benefit patients, staff and the wider community for years to come.”