An opening ceremony has been held to mark completion of a new ward at John Coupland Hospital in Gainsborough.

The £4.5m redevelopment, commissioned by NHS Property Services, transformed the former Morton Suite into the new Scotter Ward.

Designed to support Lincolnshire’s community healthcare network, the state-of-the-art facility on the hospital’s ground floor has 17 beds, including three new four-bed rooms and five single bedrooms.

The newly-renovated space also includes a dedicated palliative care suite and four stroke pathway beds, ensuring patients receive targeted care during their recovery journey.

The reimagined ward also brings a suite of specialised design features to support people with dementia, including pastel colour schemes and gentle lighting.

Specially designed to serve community needs, Scotter Ward provides short-term inpatient care and rehabilitation, playing an important role in preventing unnecessary admissions to larger hospitals.

NHSPS collaborated closely with local clinicians and healthcare teams to create a thoughtfully-designed space that meets both patient and staff needs.

Features such as a lack of central nursing stations and smaller desks within each bay create a more-open, homely atmosphere.

Scotter Ward also includes a versatile day room for therapy and visits, an expanded treatment area, and enhanced storage, all designed to support a collaborative workflow.

Scotter Ward clinical team lead, Donna Phillips, said: “This is such a proud day for me and everyone who cares for patients on our ward.

“It is wonderful to see all of the detailed planning, hard work, and discussions come to fruition.

“This building has been co-designed with staff and patients alike, from the layout to the décor, ensuring that it really does meet the needs of the patients and staff on Scotter Ward.”

Paul Jones, regional capital projects lead (Midlands) at NHS Property Services, which owns and manages the building, added: “We were really pleased to be able to welcome everyone on site and share this amazing new ward for our patients and staff at John Coupland Hospital in Gainsborough.”

The project was delivered by Lindum Group. Its construction manager, Matthew Turner, said: “It has been an interesting scheme to deliver as it is within the grounds of a live hospital, with staff and patients moving around nearby.

“Our site manager was in daily contact with the facilities team at John Coupland and detailed logistics planning was vital to keep everyone safe during construction.

“Our team worked closely with NHS representatives to adapt the plan and programme to meet the specific needs of the hospital and the work has been delivered with the support of local subcontractors and suppliers too.”