March 17 2023 – Over the past several months patients and visitors at Campbellford Memorial Hospital (CMH) have likely noticed work being done throughout the Inpatient Unit as CMH embarked on a number of improvements designed to enhance both patient safety and the patient experience.
Work to complete the refresh began last March after a review found that patients, families, visitors and staff all noted that the inpatient unit required some refreshing to address things like peeling paint, outdated signage and worn ceiling tiles. In response, the Board of Directors, along with Senior Management, made refreshing the unit one of CMH’s strategic goals for the 2022/23 fiscal year.
The refresh was more than just a coat of paint though, and one major element to the work included the installation of a new Nurse Call System. CMH’s existing system was a combination of three different systems, which were all end of life, limited in their functionality and were no longer 100 percent reliable. “Sometimes the lights on the call bell wouldn’t shut off,” commented Jenn Woods, a Team Lead and Registered Nurse on the Inpatient Unit, “it made it difficult to know whether a patient had called for assistance, or if the system was malfunctioning again.”
New patient communications boards are also being added in patient rooms. These boards are designed to provide patients and their families a quick reference to updates on a patient’s current condition and treatment plan, as well as any upcoming news or information about the hospital the patient or their family should be aware of. “The communication boards really add a quality element to the patient experience here at CMH,” commented Nicole Wood, VP of Patient Care and Chief Nursing Officer. “They allow families to quickly see, as soon as they arrive, what the status of their loved one’s treatment is.”
CMH also engaged their Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) on a number of elements of the refresh, including paint colours, new signage and a new wayfinding approach. “It was important that patients and families had a voice in this process as they offer a unique perspective on healthcare delivery at CMH,” said CEO Eric Hanna. Part of that unique perspective also included renaming the wings on the Inpatient Unit. Gone are the East, West and South Wings, replaced by the Trent River, Ranney Gorge, and Ferris Lane Wings. Renamed, in part, to reflect the local geography and history of the region.
When asked why these changes were being made now, at a time when advocacy for building a new hospital is at an all time high, CEO Eric Hanna responded; “While we work to build a new hospital, we are committed to providing the best possible patient experience we can at our existing facility. Our First Floor refresh will enhance patient safety and create a more pleasant patient experience.”
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Quick Facts:
- Flowing throughout the traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabek, the Trent River has been a pivotal transportation link and vital resource in the region for thousands of years.
- The Ranney Gorge was carved out by the rushing waters of the Trent River beginning more than 10,000 years ago as the glaciers from the last ice age began to recede. The gorge is approximately 300 meters long and 27 meters deep, with steep walls that are covered with lush vegetation in the summertime.
- Ferris Lane is named after James Marshall Ferris, one of the early Irish settlers in the region. He served as Reeve of Seymour Township, Warden of the United Counties of Durham and Northumberland and as MPP for Northumberland East from 1875-1886. His descendants also donated the land that would become the Provincial Park named in his honour.