Durham Cricket Director opens new and improved facilities

Geoff Cook, Director of Cricket at Durham County Cricket Club has just opened new and updated facilities marking the completion of our £367,000 project entitled Transforming the Patient Journey.
Cutting a ribbon across the doorway of our new patient lounge, he said: “It is the humility you feel when you come to this sort of function which provides the true emotion. I would like to congratulate everybody who has played a part in this. The very best of luck”.
Geoff, who is very busy at the moment trying to ensure that Durham stay champions of England this coming season, took time out to speak with staff, volunteers and patients about what we do here.
As well as the lounge for inpatients and their family members, the work – which we have brought in £80,000 under the original budget includes
• New external door screens and windows, wood laminate flooring, patient hoists, IT points, wifi in all the bedrooms. New wheelchair and bed access to the gardens.
• New laptops available for in patients.
• A total of 27 new windows in other parts of the In Patient Unit.
• A new palliative care doctors’ office.
• New hospice IT and computer systems replacing a ten year old system.
• A new minibus, capable of taking two wheelchairs, replacing a 10 year old vehicle.
• Improved mortuary facilities and a new viewing area for relatives.
Wynn Griffiths, St Cuthbert’s Hospice Chairman, said: “It had become apparent that the fabric of our buildings, particularly the patient areas, needed to be updated to ensure we were able to continue to provide the best possible care for patients and their families.
“Thanks to this project, anyone who is staying with us in the in-patient unit can get immediate access, in their bed if necessary, to their own patio and enjoy the beauty of our gardens.
“The external doors and windows replace the old ones which leaked and were draughty, the new wood laminate flooring replaces carpets. We have been extremely prudent, bringing in work some £80,000 under budget. We believe the areas we have targeted will future-proof us for some time to come.”