Article: published on 8 March 2024

A new dementia-friendly elderly care ward at Salisbury District Hospital aims to reduce waiting times and offer bespoke care.

Patients will be moved to the new Imber Ward from surgical wards when the facility opens at the end of April.

The 24-bed facility, which cost £14m to build, has been funded by the NHS.

Staff voted to name the ward after Salisbury Plain's Imber village, which was taken over by the MOD to prepare troops for World War Two.

Miguel Vasconcelos, 35, the divisional matron for medicine responsible for Imber Ward, said it is "futuristic".

"Everyone wants to be a part of it because we're going to set this mark in the history of Salisbury District Hospital," he said.

Mr Vasconcelos said the ward will make a difference both in terms of reducing waiting times and offering bespoke care:

"We have pressure at the moment because our surgical wards are taking some of the medical patients and the elderly patients are the biggest population of medical patients," he added.

"So most of the time it's these types of patients that get moved over to the surgical wards.

"We need the right patients in the right place. We need elderly patients in an elderly care ward where we can cover all aspects of their needs.

"This will improve flow for the surgical wards, and will reduce times for people waiting for their surgeries."

Mr Vasconcelos said there would be volunteers coming in to run engaging activities such as arts and crafts, along with entertainment like nail painting and movie afternoons.

"Everything's been thought of to look after the population," he said.

Jane Dickinson, deputy chief operating officer for Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, said the aim is to make the ward an "exemplar ward particularly in patient flow".

"It's a phenomenal place," said Mrs Dickinson, 59.

She added that the trust is doing all it can to improve waiting times.

"We're not just banking on Imber Ward, we're doing an awful lot of work in reducing our length of stay, reducing our bed occupancy.

"And we work with social care and community partners really, really closely."

Recruitment is nearly complete said Mr Vasconcelos, who has been part of selecting the new team.

"We haven't had this many applicants for any other job before. We are almost fully recruited," he said.

"We've got this privileged time to listen to everyone and make adjustments as we go along, so that when we open everything will be there to cover all aspects of their needs.

"The team that will be working here are very passionate about elderly care."