My name is Ruth Thompson. I'm a staff specialist in acute and general medicine, here at the John Hunter. I am responsible for developing and sort of the day-to-day running of the acute medicine service. So, it currently operates out of MACU Ward and we're a team of doctors and nurses and allied health. So, it's an assessment area and a short stay area specifically for medically unwell patients. We're around the majority of the day so we can assess, reassess review them as many times as we need to. So it's sort of like a quite a safe space for them to be.
I love talking to patients and being involved in patients' lives. I think coming to hospital for any adults is, you know, it's a fragile moment in their adult life, and so to be part of that I think it a privilege.
I was very fortunate enough to be asked to be involved, in the design brief for the new build, for the new acute medicine unit.
So we went through and tried to figure our exactly what service we wanted to run and what were our goals, and quite simply for us at the moment, it's just improved patient care that journey for that patient. And so, with the new build, we sort of really kept those key objectives at the focus of our mind. This unit will allow us to try and meet those objectives as much as possible. Try and allow the team to be as efficient as possible. Everything should flow the spaces for people, relatives, spaces for allied health team.
So, it's a, it is a completely different place. I'm most excited about two things. The first one actually being windows, so big windows like this, having natural light coming in, it's just a nicer place to be. Second of all, it is just as I mentioned before, having a unit that's fit for purpose. So that allows me to do my job to the best of my ability.
I think with the new build, I think that it's, it's gonna be a great space for patients, relatives and for everyone that's working there.
