Miriam Margolyes OBE opens Croydon's new stroke unit and therapeutic garden
Miriam Margolyes casts magic as the Professor Sprout actor unveils new hospital stroke unit with therapeutic garden
Miriam Margolyes OBE, award-winning actor, writer and TV personality, cast magic and laughter at Croydon University Hospital this week as she unveiled a new therapeutic garden and completely transformed stroke unit caring for one of London’s largest boroughs.
The star of Harry Potter spent time chatting to patients and staff before declaring the unit – which provides expert care and recovery from potentially life-threatening strokes – formally open.
Miriam Margolyes OBE said:
“This is actually very personal for me because my mother had a stroke. I know it first-hand that a stroke is not what it sounds like; it sounds like a caress but it is actually being cut down, it is being felled, it is being practically destroyed – but what [the team] do here is put people back together again and give them a chance to be themselves once more.
“The tenderness that the staff in Croydon show towards their patients and the joy they have in restoring health to people gladdens my heart. This is why I was thrilled to open this wonderful new stroke facility at Croydon University Hospital and why I am so immensely proud of our NHS.”
Described as at the very “forefront of stroke therapy,” the newly transformed hospital unit includes 26 beds, a bespoke gym, therapy room and an outpatient clinic to enable doctors, nurses and therapists to provide holistic care and recovery support for stroke survivors in one place.
Every room is designed to be accessible even to the most severely impaired, with wheelchair friendly shower facilities and ceiling track hoists, which allows for greater dignity and ease of movement for patients. In addition, a spacious roof-top garden doubles as an outdoor therapy space to aid patients in their recovery and treatment after a stroke.
Dr Enas Lawrence, Lead Stroke Consultant at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, said:
“The healing power of plants can work wonders for a patients’ recovery, so who better to open our brand new unit than Professor Sprout herself? Croydon is one of the hardest-hit areas in England for stroke and Transient Ischaemic Attacks (TIA), which can often signal that a bigger and potentially more devastating stroke is on the way – but much like Harry Potter, our old TIA clinic existed in a broom cupboard. Now, we have the spacious facility that our patients and staff deserve.
“Designed by our clinicians in discussion with our patients, every aspect – inside and out – has been built to help people get better and get back to their lives. From the bright and airy gym that helps patients regain their strength and independence, to the private roof-top garden where patients and their families can escape the grind of being in hospital to help their recovery bloom. It really is rather swish, giving our stroke unit a penthouse vibe to the Thornton Heath skyline.”
The state-of-the-art unit is the latest development in the £15m modernisation services at Croydon University Hospital that will see the size of the borough’s only Critical Care Unit increase by half, with the latest equipment and facilities to ensure patients can receive the highest standards of life-dependent care in their local hospital, close to where they live. Croydon’s new Critical Care Unit is expected to open in autumn 2023.
Matthew Kershaw, Chief Executive and Place Based Leader at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, said:
“Our contractors at Kier have really worked wonders to pack so much into our new stroke unit, and bring our clinically-led design to life where even gardening can be used as therapy. But the real success here is the care and attention of our wonderful doctors, nurses and therapists and the dedicated support teams around them, who together have brought their vision to life.
“I would especially like to thank Miriam, who has brought smiles and laughter to our patients and staff. We were delighted to welcome her to officially open our new stroke unit, and we feel humbled that she was able to share her story of how stroke has impacted her family, and to see our teams in action to repair and care for so many others inflicted by this disease.”
Stroke inflicts someone in England every five minutes and can affect anyone of any age. High levels of deprivation and the prevalence of conditions like diabetes makes Croydon one of the hardest-hit areas in country with around 30,000 people living in the borough with heart and circulatory diseases.
For advice on the signs and symptoms and what to do in the event of a stroke, visit www.nhs.uk
See a video below of Miriam Margolyes unveiling the plaque and officially open the Stroke Unit: