Work on a £500,000 refurbishment of a mental health ward in Colwyn Bay has been completed.

The £500,000 refurbishment has helped make the 13 bedded Bryn Hesketh ward in Colwyn Bay more dementia friendly.

The recently completed improvement work included new flooring, signage and colour schemes which incorporate the latest guidance from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Dedicated family rooms have also been established to support the Health Board’s commitment to open visiting, and a previously inaccessible outdoor space has been opened up and made safe for people with dementia to enjoy.

Pieces of artwork depicting local landmarks have been put up on the walls, including a large mural of Colwyn Bay Pier, which provides an opportunity for patients to reminisce and feel orientated.

Since the closure of Tawel Fan ward in 2013, the Health Board has increased spending on its Older Person’s Mental Health Services by 40 per cent and introduced a number of measures to improve the care delivered on its dementia specific wards.

This includes the introduction of dedicated dementia activity workers, improvements to staff training and an investment in dementia care mapping – a gold standard observational tool which helps staff deliver truly person centred care.

Improvements to standards of care on Bryn Hesketh Ward have been noted in a recent inspection report by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, which praised the ward’s strong leadership, dedication of staff and dementia supportive environment.

Bryn Hesketh ward sister, Susannah Williams, said: “We want people to have confidence that if they or their loved ones require admission to Bryn Hesketh they will receive really high quality care, which is delivered by well trained staff in a truly dementia supportive environment.

“The refurbishment has made a huge difference to both patients and staff and we are thrilled with the results.”

Andy Roach, director of mental health & learning disabilities at BCUHB, said: “Bryn Hesketh is a wonderful example of the progress we’re making to improve the care provided to people with dementia. While significant progress has been made, we are fully focussed on delivering the further improvements that are needed across all of our mental health services.”

The Bryn Hesketh ward is one of three dementia specific wards, along with Cemlyn Ward in Llangefni and Gwanwyn Ward in Wrexham, which have undergone significant refurbishment work to meet national quality standards on dementia supportive environments set out by the King’s Fund – an influential health and social care charity.