The Barry Hospital will soon be celebrating its 25th Anniversary. The hospital was opened in 1995 as a ‘community hospital’ with a range of facilities for staff, visitors, third sector and community groups to use.
The hospital has its origins from an accident ward established by the local Nursing Association in a property in Kingsland Crescent in March 1895.
A purpose built hospital was opened in Wyndham Street, Barry in December 1908. This hospital joined the National Health Service in 1948 and then became Barry Community Hospital in 1973.
The current hospital, which replaced the Barry Community Hospital in Wyndham Street, was completed in 1995. The hospital’s minor injury unit reopened after a £240,000 upgrade in May 2015.
The Barry Hospital is loved, well-respected and is frequently used by the local community, hence the “Love Barry Hospital Shaping our Future” logo which has been specifically designed for the project.
As part of the Health Board’s ‘Shaping our Future Well-being Strategy’, The Barry Hospital has been designated as an integrated health and wellbeing hub for the Vale of Glamorgan.
To improve facilities for everyone using the hospital, Cardiff & Vale Health Charity were asked to support through charitable bids, the refurbishment of the Mary Lennox meeting room and also to help improve the appearance of the reception areas of the hospital to give a great first impression upon arrival.
Mary Lennox Room is proudly named after the first female Medical Officer of Health for Barry. She worked in the Public Health Laboratory Service, investigating the link between salmonellae in abattoirs, meat factories, butchers’ shops and meat products.
As part of the improvements, the Health Board will be working with patients, staff, local artists, local schools and the community to ensure that the outcomes of the project are fit for purpose and the changes are making a difference to the services that are offered from the hospital.
The Community Payback Scheme have been involved in the project and have helped to redecorate the Mary Lennox Room, alongside colleagues from the Health Board’s Capital, Estates and Facilities department.
The “Love Barry Hospital Shaping our Future” logo and the hashtag #LoveBarryHospital will be used to improve community engagement and will allow service users to provide feedback about how important a local service like Barry Hospital is to the local community and to kick start meaningful engagement surrounding celebrations of the 25th anniversary.
Jane Hutt AM said: Barry Hospital is a cherished place in our community providing vital health services day in day out. I am delighted that the Mary Lennox Community Room is being refurbished and that there are further plans to upgrade and improve the hospital. The Mary Lennox Community Room is used by many community groups linked to health care.
“I also want to thank the staff and volunteers who have made visitors feel so welcome over the past 25 years and look forward to seeing the facilities at the hospital continue to develop with their and the Health Board’s support.”
Len Richards, Chief Executive of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: “Whenever I’ve visited Barry Hospital I’ve always been impressed by the welcome I’ve received from our staff and the standard of care that they give to their patients.
“The hospital has a real community feel and through investment from our Health Charity, visitors and patients will see an improvement in the environment, hopefully improving their experiences of our services.”
To find out more about Cardiff & Vale Health Charity please visit www.healthcharity.wales Tweet us your thoughts on Barry Hospital @health_charity using #LoveBarryHospital.
