Newcastle United player marks end of work at Community Hospital

A Premier League footballer has visited the local community hospital in the town he was born.

Dan Burn, who is a defender at Newcastle United, took time out recently to visit Blyth Community Hospital.

Both the inpatient ward and children’s outpatient department at the hospital have been refurbished. Dan enjoyed meeting children who were attending appointments, their families/carers and some patients being currently cared for on the inpatient ward.

The footballer started his senior career in the North East in 2009 at Darlington, moved down south and then returned to his home region when he was signed to play for Newcastle United in 2022. Dan said: “Being involved in the community I was born and grew up in is very important to me and being here today seeing the improvements that have been made to Blyth Community Hospital is great.

“I have really enjoyed meeting the children, those patients staying in hospital and the staff. The environment they are now being cared for in is fantastic. We all rely on our NHS, and you could clearly see the staff are really passionate about what they do, regardless of their role. It is great that we have this hospital in Blyth, and I appreciate being invited to visit.”

Work on the children’s outpatient department, which used to be an adult’s in-patient ward, began in January this year. The space has been transformed into an accessible, dedicated and workable area for clinicians to see and care for children and young people. Consideration has also been given to ensuring more children can be seen and cared for within the Blyth area. The number of rooms available for one-to-one consultations has been increased and the large therapy room enables group consultations. Both will reduce waiting times for individual patients and those waiting for specialist assessments.

It is expected that the number of children who will access services on this ward will increase from 50 to more than 100 per month.

Jane Smyth, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s general manager in child health, said: “I am delighted with the result of the work we have done. As well as various paediatric clinics, our new large therapy room will enable autistic spectrum disorder group assessments. This bright and airy space will enhance children’s experiences during the assessment and will give clinicians the opportunity to observe children while they play and interact with others.

“Our primary mental health team now have a welcoming, calm and relaxing environment to see children in. The environment is so important to ensure children feel comfortable to express their thoughts and feelings.

“The new department also takes into account the needs of a family unit with a dedicated waiting room and breastfeeding room. It will improve the experience of both children receiving care and of their families/carers. When a child is ill or if they need extra support, we want to ensure we provide this care in the very best way we can in the local community. I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to Dan to coming along to meet patients, their families and our staff. It meant the world and really made people’s day!”

Northumbria Healthcare worked with local partners to refurbish both the children’s outpatient department and the inpatient ward. They include project managers, Identity Consult, architects from JDDK and building contractors, Geoffrey Robinson Limited.

Work on the inpatient ward, which included fitting new doors, flooring, ceiling and lighting, updating the furniture and painting it, was completed in the summer.

Dan also had the opportunity to meet some of the inpatients: “Being able to bring a smile to people’s faces when they were having to stay in hospital and probably feeling vulnerable was a pleasure to do, and it felt really special to brighten their day a bit.”

Mel Davidson, matron on the inpatient ward, said: “Our inpatient ward team are all very pleased with the outcome of the work to upgrade it. It is now a light, bright and pleasant environment for both staff and patients. The new day room is well used and gives patients a space to go to if they want to leave the bay they are in. Meeting Dan and seeing the impact he had on patients and their families was truly wonderful. It was very special.”

Damon Kent, managing director of Northumbria Health Facilities Management, said: “Being a big Newcastle fan, I was delighted that we could welcome Dan Burn into the hospital. Staff, patients and their families really enjoyed meeting and chatting to him. It was extra special with him being a local lad and really lifted people’s spirits.

“The work we do to upgrade our buildings goes so much further than just improving the environment. We know it improves patient care and experience. Improving the estate that our staff work in, 365 days a year, is so important for their wellbeing and morale too. We are very pleased with the results of this work and I would like to thank our design team and construction partners for working so well with us and for what they have helped to achieve.”

Simon Allan, director at Identity Consult, said: “We take enormous pride in seeing the real benefits that the projects we help to deliver can have on local communities. This project has been another excellent example of what a genuinely collaborative approach can achieve, working with our valued client Northumbria Healthcare. It was really great that a local sporting hero could celebrate the completion of the work with us all.”

Bright, Northumbria Healthcare’s charity, has also contributed to these projects providing funding for furniture and wall décor.

The goal for this project was to enhance the communal areas on Ward 2 for the benefit of patients, providing home comforts and reminiscence opportunities.

Bright worked with ward staff to develop the day room, which can be used for reminiscence, activities, physical exercise and should hopefully encourage engagement from patients to maintain their mobility and independence.

The quiet room will offer staff and families a comfortable space away from the clinical environment of the ward.

Bright continue with their support on the Child Health Unit, again working in the communal areas to support some of our most vulnerable families. More news on this coming soon.