Royal Preston Hospital gets gym refit

David Vesty, a patient at RPH, on the new gym equipment Pic: Lancashire Teaching Hospitals

New gym equipment has been put in place at Royal Preston Hospital.

Partly funded by a grant of £15,228 from the NHS Charities Together the gym was refitted and will help both staff and patients.

Patients recovering from traumatic injury or surgery can use the hospital gym as well as staff to help support their physical and mental wellbeing.

Patient David Vesty said: “As a regular visitor to the gym, I was happily surprised how well kitted out the facilities and equipment are at Preston Royal Physio department. They have a well-structured layout for all manner of rehabilitation requirements and know how to utilise the equipment to help get you back on your feet – in my case!”

David Vesty using the new gym equipment Pic: Lancashire Teaching Hospitals

Jennifer Carroll, Continuous Improvement Clinical Fellow with the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “The charitable funds received has enabled us to refurbish both of our Therapy gymnasiums to a high standard which will facilitate enhancement of patient experience, as well as support our staff health and wellbeing. This is making a significant positive impact upon the services we offer to the population we support.”

Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive of NHS Charities Together said: “Thanks to the generous support of the public, we are thrilled to work with Lancashire Teaching Hospitals to provide funding towards vital equipment, improving the experience of rehabilitation patients at Royal Preston Hospital. We know this will have a life-changing and lasting impact, both physically and mentally, as patients embark upon their journey to recovery.”

Dan Hill, Head of Charities at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We are thrilled that our charity funding has enabled these fantastic facilities at Royal Preston Hospital. The new equipment will make a big difference to the recovery of our patients. We are especially grateful to NHS Charities Together for their grant which helped to make this project a reality, and to all our supporters for their generous donations.”