Donations help patients pass the time in improved Llandudno IV suite

Generous donations and fundraising work have improved facilities for patients who use the IV suite at Llandudno Hospital.

Staff on the unit have used donations from charities, a local business and patients to repaint the suite and purchase entertainment items to help patients pass time while undergoing therapy.

The Llandudno unit provides more than 300 therapy treatments every month, helping people from Gwynedd, Conwy and Denbighshire avoid trips to Glan Clwyd Hospital or further afield for IV therapy.

Patients use the IV suite for conditions including osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and colitis, and pre- and post-chemotherapy care. Patients often need multiple treatments every week, with some therapies taking as long as eight hours to complete.

With patients often spending long periods of time receiving therapy, staff contacted local businesses and charities to gather support to brighten up the facilities and ensure it met dementia friendly standards.

The improvements contribute to the hospital’s wider work to achieve the Working Towards Dementia Friendly Status from the Alzheimer’s Society. Last year, Llandudno Hospital was the first in North Wales to achieve the award, which recognises organisations raising awareness around the life-limiting condition.

The team also used donated funds to purchase an infra-red vein finder, which helps staff care for difficult to cannulate patients.

Lottie Wilson, Junior Sister at the IV suite, said: “It’s really easy to get bored while undergoing lengthy treatment here. We wanted to do something to make that time spent here as pleasant as possible.

“Our housekeeper wrote to Johnstone's Decorating Centre in Llandudno to see if they could help with brightening up the unit. They kindly gave us rollers, paintbrushes and paint to tidy up the space we provide the treatments in.

“We then worked with our Dementia Support Workers for their advice to make sure we redecorated to meet dementia friendly standards,

“Crohn's and Colitis UK donated £930 which we used to buy tablets and a new TV, as well as new saddle chairs for the nursing staff to use, which will help them work more comfortably while they care for our IV patients.

“A lot of people bring their own entertainment in, but some don’t, and by having a new, large TV and the kindles, which will have magazines, newspapers and on-demand TV on them, they can help pass the time a bit quicker.

“We’re also lucky to have had fantastic support from one of our long-term patients, who took donations at her wedding for the unit.

“The donations have made a huge difference for both our staff and patients, and we really want to thank everyone who’s provided fantastic support to us.”