More than £50,000 has been spent on refurbishing Stroud General Hospital’s theatre.
The unit has a new recovery bay and reception area, joint funded by Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust and Stroud Hospitals League of Friends.
It is the culmination of 18 months of investment in theatre services in the hospital.

Theatre sister Caroline Smith said: “The last 18 months have seen us training colleagues, ensuring we meet the highest standards in our procedures and expanding and upgrading our equipment.

“Last year we received accreditation from the Joint Advisory Committee for the quality of our care in Endoscopy, and we now have apprentices in theatre so we are ensuring we train colleagues for the future.”

“Now we have upgraded the layout of our premises and it feels like the culmination of what we have been working towards.”

“The Stroud Hospitals League of Friends also generously funded the provision of a picture Skytile in theatre, which means that patients having a general anaesthetic have something pleasing to look at as they receive treatment. The Skytile has been well received and we have had some really positive comments. This again improves patient experience.”

The theatre at Stroud is used by consultants from Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for a range of procedures including breast surgery, colorectal, gynaecology, urology, vascular, general surgery and endoscopy. It was joint winner in the Hospital Team of the Year category in last November’s Gloucestershire Health and Social Care Awards.

Caroline added: “We work in collaboration with colleagues from Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and I’m sure there’s more we can do. We’re not yet at capacity here at Stroud theatre and would like to see more patients coming through the doors, so we’ll be working to ensure both our trusts make effective use of these facilities.”

Pictured, Left to right: Caroline Smith Senior Sister to Theatre and Princess Anne Ward with Severine Ryder Senior Operating Department Practitioner in Stroud General Hospital’s anaesthetic room.