New Therapy gym at RJAH is officially opened

The Therapy Department at Shropshire’s specialist orthopaedic hospital has held a special celebration to mark the official opening of a new state-of-the-art gym – in a bid to further enhance the physical and mental wellbeing of patients.

Staff and patients gathered to see the unveiling of the new space – which is used by inpatients and outpatients at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital – with a celebratory ribbon cutting ceremony.

The ribbon was cut by Douglas Winterborn, 91 from Dudley, who has been an inpatient on the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries since January this year, alongside Nina White, Service Manager for Musculoskeletal Services for Shropshire and Telford (MSST); and Amanda Peet, Interim Therapies Manager.

He said: “It was a pleasure have been invited to cut the ribbon to officially open the gym following all its updates.

“I like to come to the gym as often as I can, and the improvements have made a huge difference.”

To commemorate the opening, Douglas wrote a poem which he read prior to cutting the ribbon. It reads:

Welcome to our newly floored gym,
Don’t stand there, come on in,
There is equipment all around,
And physios to work you into the ground,
They do it together all the while,
But with such a pleasant smile,
And now to do the job I’ve been given,
I will take the scissors and cut this ribbon.

A total of £120,000 was invested by the Estates and Facilities Department at the Oswestry-based hospital to improve the gym.

Works were completed in several phases, covering eight weeks in total, and includes white rock walls, which is infection prevention and control compliant; new flooring; upgraded personal protective equipment; and fresh paint work.

Amanda said: “This project is a true testament to everyone working together effectively, for a better outcome for our patients.

“The new space is much more brightening and welcoming, giving both patients and staff a better environment to spend time or work in.

“A special thank you must go to the Estates and Facilities Team who supported us throughout the project – we really could not have done it without their support, knowledge and expertise.”