Modern waiting room opened on Intensive Care Day

23 April 2009

Tamworth Hospital is celebrating the important role of its Intensive Care Unit and its staff with the opening of the refurbished ICU visitor waiting room on Intensive Care Day, this Friday (24th April).

Tamworth ICU Nursing Unit Manager Michelle Keir said the ICU staff had worked hard to understand how they could improve visitors’ experiences within the ICU and found an updated waiting room would be an ideal start.

“During the past year we’ve looked into how we could better cater for friends and families of our patients, who often have a long nervous wait to see their loved ones,” Michelle said.

“We designed a survey and circulated it to both visitors and staff and found that by improving the look and feel of our waiting room, visitors would be much more comfortable while waiting to see family members.

“We came up with some ideas to make the waiting room more ambient and thanks to the Tamworth Hospital Auxiliary we were able to make it happen.”

The Auxiliary, which is a major supporter of the hospital, contributed $4,000 to help update the waiting room including:

• New furnishings, including chairs and a coffee table
• A new flat screen television
• Kids corner, complete with toys

The balcony outside the waiting room will also be brightened up with the help of the Tamworth Garden Club, which have offered to create a pot plant garden outside the waiting room windows.

The ICU staff have also planned a number of events to mark Intensive Care Day.

Past patients family and friends are invited to the opening of the ICU waiting room this Friday (24th April) at 9.30am. Please RSVP for catering purposes to Chris on (02) 6767 7385. A cookbook compiled by the ICU staff will also be on sale at the opening.

The community is invited to the Intensive Care Day Trivia Night from 7pm, 24 April at the Tamworth Tennis Club, Napier St. Tickets $10 per head (teams of 8-10), available from Katie or Chris in ICU (Ph: 6767 7385).

If you’d like to know more about the work of Intensive Care Units, please see some of our staff at the Tamworth Shoppingworld information stand at the bottom of the travelator next to Woolworths on between 12 and 3pm on Friday 24 April.

Media are invited to attend the official opening of the refurbished ICU visitors’ waiting room at 9.30am on Friday 24 April.

Contact: Emma Gibbs

Phone: (02) 6767 7137 or 0428 114 767