The next stage of work to make Ipswich Hospital’s wards dementia friendly has begun as renovations are underway on the Stradbroke Ward.

Ipswich Star: Peter Gibbons, who left behind a �1.5m legacy to Ipswich HospitalPeter Gibbons, who left behind a �1.5m legacy to Ipswich Hospital (Image: Archant)

The 28-bed ward houses gastroenterology patients, with colour-coded walls, pictorial signs and improved lighting and toilets helping to make the ward better for dementia sufferers.

The ward revamp is the latest in a string of improvements at the hospital funded by a £1.5million legacy left by former patient Peter Gibbons.

Elsewhere, a corridor is being built linking the Brantham Ward with the Emergency Department, with dementia-friendly improvements set for Brantham later this year.

Becky May, matron for medicine, said: “Coming into hospital can be unsettling for people with dementia, which is why we try and do everything we can to help them feel as safe and as comfortable as possible.”