A hospital ward has been given a £350,000 overhaul to provide better facilities for patients.

The Fordham Ward at Colchester Hospital now has a new doctors’ observation and a new reception area following the renovation, which has also seen the area redecorated.

Staff at the trauma and orthopaedic ward, which cares for patients aged 16 and over with bone and joint conditions, hope the brighter surroundings will make people’s hospital stays less stressful.

The colour scheme is designed to follow dementia guidelines and help those with cognitive impairments after surgery.

Rossa Baker, senior matron for the musculoskeletal division at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), said: “It’s made such a big difference.

“It’s freed up a lot of space in the middle of the ward so those patients who can and need to get up and moving have room to go for a walk without having to squeeze past the nurses’ desk as that’s been removed.

“We’ve had really good feedback about the space and how light and colourful it is for patients.”

Other improvements to the ward on Constable Wing, which took around eight weeks to complete, include new showers, toilets and basins, new flooring and hygiene cladding on the walls, bigger storage rooms and new energy efficient lighting.

There is also a new nurse call system and intercom security.