A MAJOR renovation project to improve the Children’s Unit at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI) has now been completed, thanks to a £697,000 investment.

The improvements include new flooring, lighting, decoration, furniture and equipment in the five bedded dedicated assessment area, two triage rooms, a playroom, an en-suite bedroom, toilet with baby change facilities and waiting areas, as well as refreshed staff areas including the ward offices and reception.

Laura Norton, Children’s Unit Manager, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), said:

“We know that it can be a tough time for little ones and their families if they need to come into hospital. That’s why we are so pleased with the revamp of the Children’s Unit as it will make such a huge difference to our patients and helps them to feel comfortable and safe during their time with us.

“The changes have not only benefitted our service users, but it has also been a huge boost for the staff as they are now coming to work in a brand new and modern environment. It’s somewhere we can all really be proud to show off when welcoming patients and visitors onto the unit.”

The renovation of the Children’s Unit is part of a £21million investment for capital projects across UHMBT, which manages the RLI, Furness General Hospital in Barrow-in-Furness and Westmorland General Hospital in Kendal.

The project was managed by the UHMBT capital services team who worked closely with the infection prevention team, design consultants and building contractors to ensure that each phase of the plans were completed with as little disruption as possible to hospital staff and service users.