Stoma care facilities upgraded at Dorset County Hospital

Stoma care facilities have been upgraded at Dorset County Hospital (DCH), thanks to a generous charitable donation.

Ducks and Drakes Cancer Trust donated just under £1,500 to allow improvements to be made to the bathroom facilities on two of the hospital wards – Lulworth and Abbotsbury.

The improvements include new mirrors, shelving and hooks, which will enhance patients’ experience at the hospital by allowing them to change their stoma bags more easily.

The Stoma Care Team at DCH provide support for patients throughout their care, from pre-admission visits to offering advice on issues such as rehabilitation and diet following discharge from the hospital. The service covers the west and north of Dorset.

Kate March, Lead Stoma Nurse at DCH said: “We are incredibly grateful to the team at Ducks and Drakes for their support. The improvements that have been made may look very simple, but they will make a significant different to the experience of our patients with stoma bags.

“We understand a stoma bag can be a big life change for patients and we wanted to ensure that we could do everything we could to help them ease into that transition.”

Becky Howorth from Ducks and Drakes added: “We are delighted to support the Stoma Care Team and help make patients’ lives a little bit easier. You don’t appreciate how the simplest things can make such a significant difference to a patient’s experience.”