Patients at Blackburn Royal Hospital were invited to ‘Eat Me’ ‘Drink Me’ this weekend as staff from C3 Acute Gastro Ward and Clayton Park Bakery held an ‘Alice In Wonderland’ tea party in their honour.
Donated Strawberry Tarts, Scones, Lemon Slices and Custard Tarts served up with lashings of tea, coffee and cloudy lemonade were met with cheshire-cat sized smiles all round. Even ‘nil by mouth’ patients enjoyed fresh red roses in keeping with the Wonderland theme.
Organised by Health Care Assistant Dot O’Meara and the twelve ward staff who volunteered their own time and came in full fancy dress, the party was a great opportunity to bring a little light relief to the patients of Ward C3.
“It’s a little bit off the wall but it’s holistic care, not just medical needs but general welfare and happiness,” explained Dot.
“One patient even said ‘I haven’t smiled for weeks but today I have.’”
Claire Lord, C3 Ward Manager for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust was persuaded to be ‘Queen of Hearts’ for the day, but she was far from angry.
“It’s fantastic. It builds the team, pulls everybody together. The patients love it and the staff are so competitive with their costumes, we let the patients decide who the winner of the best costume should be.”
Brian Ashworth, Clayton Park General Manager poured the tea:
“At Clayton Park Bakery, we’re all for making the world a little bit sweeter.”
“The team and patients on Ward C3 are truly amazing characters. It has been our absolute pleasure to help cater for their party.”
