A £1MILLION investment in the Intensive Care Unit at Harrogate District Hospital has increased capacity and created a much-improved environment for patients and staff.

The project involved stripping down the whole unit to its structural shell and rebuilding it, allowing for the creation of an additional side room giving a new total of five side rooms as well as six beds across two open bays.

New flooring, ceilings, doors and wall cladding has been installed as well as dimmable lights, engaging wall murals and LED ceiling panels featuring blue skies, clouds and trees in two of the side rooms.

There are two newly-refurbished relatives’ waiting rooms, and brand new televisions in each of the side rooms. Also featured are new wash basins throughout the unit, a new emergency lighting and fire detection system, fully integrated patient monitoring systems and upgraded medical gas pipework. Bespoke floor to ceiling medical columns providing medical gases and the electrical supply for each bed space have been installed, which now makes it easier for staff to move all around the bedspace as well as increasing the supply of medical gases and power points to each bed.

Intensive Care Consultant Dr Sarah Marsh said:“We are so pleased with the new unit – it has a completely different look and feel now. It’s given everyone on the team a huge lift and moving back in will hopefully help to draw a line under the pressures we’ve faced over the last 12 months."