Whitby Project Update: June Newsletter

Update from Pete Beckwith, Whitby Project Group Chair 

I am pleased to be able to share a project update with you at a key time in this exciting project for the Whitby Community and for our Trust. We are now 12 months into this £13.1million redevelopment project in Whitby and are working towards a key milestone later this summer as we prepare to complete works on the tower block. I am delighted to be able to share some updates on the project as well as items that the project group have agreed since our last meeting in April. We will continue to share these updates as the project progresses towards completions at the end of the year. 

We acknowledge that there have been some delays to progress due to awaiting direction from the Trust charitable funds committee. I appreciate that this has caused some delay and frustration.  I would like to reaffirm our commitment to working positively with the people of Whitby to move forward with engagement on the artworks and other important areas of the wider project.

At the end of the update we have put together some Frequently Asked Questions which address some of the most popular queries that we have some across on this project so far. If you have a question about the project please HNF-TR.communications@nhs.net using the subject ‘Whitby FAQ’ and we will include it in a future edition.

New Café Agreed  

In April the Project Group was pleased to approve a new Café provision put forward by NHS Property Services which will be open for staff, patients and visitors at the Hospital. It will staffed from 8:30am to 2pm daily with hot and cold drinks and vending machines available 24 hours a day.

Hospital Gardens

The Whitby Gardens Task and Finish group, chaired by Mandy Cooper, Chair of the Whitby Dementia Friendly Community, has facilitated local engagement and feedback to understand what was important to include in the hospital gardens.   

Two designs were put forward to the group for consideration, with a clear favourite selected.

The £90,000 Garden transformation was supported by Trust Charity, Health Stars, Charitable Funds Committee and our Executive Management Team allowing work instructions to be issued to the main contractor. The work to the gardens will be completed in time for when the building opens at the end of the year.

The start of the work brings the Garden’s Task and Finish Group to an end. We would like to say a huge thank you to the whole team for their hard work and dedication to the project and we look forward to celebration the completion of the project with them later this year.

Artwork Commission

The Whitby Artwork Task and Finish Group, chaired by Doff Pollard, Lead Governor has identified the need for a lead artist to be commissioned to ensure continuity on the design and management of the artwork throughout the Hospital.

The Health Stars, Charitable Funds Committee has supported seed funding to enable a lead artist to be selected and for some works to be commissioned to facilitate an application for Arts Lottery Funding.

Given the limited wall space available the Whitby project group and the amount of artwork in the current hospital the plan to preserve all artwork for the public is for it to be exhibited digitally in a key location in the Tower Block.

The Artwork Task and Finish Group will also lead on local engagement to identify the preferred solution for a new sculpture, with the current location identified as the turning circle at the hospital.

War Memorial Roll of Honour

The Artwork Task and Finish group are also leading on the relation of the War Memorial Roll of Honour. We appreciate that this is an important memorial for the town and have worked closely with the group for find an appropriate location for it now confirmed a as the first floor lobby.

The group are also working to develop a number of proposals to celebrate and acknowledge the history of the hospital at the opening of the full site at the end of the year. The group are working with Health Stars on bringing ideas for this, such as a booklet and mug, to life.

Ward/Area Naming

The Naming Task and Finish Group, chaired by Caroline aimed to suggest names for locations within the hospital such as the wards and café.

We are pleased to share that the Ward will be named the ‘Memorial Ward’, after war memorial on site and the Relatives Room will be named ‘Heather Room’ to reflect the beautiful purple flowers seen across the nearby moors.  Signage for these spaces has now been commissioned ahead of the ward opening later this summer.

In keeping with Dementia Friendly guidelines the Whitby Project Group agreed that no further areas of the project will be named to avoid the risk of causing confusion. Other areas will simply use names that describe their use or purpose.

The selection of the names brings the work of the Task and Finish Group to an end. We would again like to thank the group for their careful consideration of names for these spaces and for the legacy they leave for patients and their families in the years to come.

Flagpole Relocation

The relocation of the Flagpole has been agreed and it will now be located in the carpark turning circle.

Mulgrave 10k

The organisers of the Mulgrave 10k have donated 20 places to Whitby Hospital at this year’s race to Health Stars to support fundraising.

The race is will be held at the Mulgrave Estate and 8^th August and is organised by Loftus and Whitby AC, in conjunction with Mulgrave Community Sports Association.

If you are interested in a place please contact hello@healthstars.org.uk.Thank you to the Mulgrave 10K for their support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are Health Stars and Hey Smile?

Healthstars is the name of Humber NHS Teaching Foundation Trust charity which promotes investment and enhancement in our services above the core levels of NHS core funding. The charity is run on behalf of the Trust by HEY Smile and wants to raise money towards enhancements to the Whitby Hospital Project.

Find out more about Health Stars here

Find out more about Hey Smile here

What are the “enhancements”?

The Trust is fundraising to enhance the Whitby Project, the areas fundraising will be used for include:

• Enhanced Garden Design
• Artwork
• Enhancements to Patient and Staff environments

Anything that is raised for by the charity is what goes above and beyond core NHS funding. This is what Health Stars called ‘adding the extra sparkle’.

Where is the money being held that was passed over by the former League of Friends and how is that going to be accounted for?  

The funding donated by the League of Friends is held in the charity bank account and is specifically ring-fenced for Whitby.  Patients, Staff and members of the public can submit wishes to enhance the service provision or experience at Whitby Hospital and these will be considered by the fund zone manager Sonia Raffery, Service Manager, Whitby hospital and Community Services

You can submit wishes to Health Stars here.

Where will the war memorial Roll of Honour books be displayed in the new hospital?

The Roll of Honour will be on display in the new Hospital. We are currently awaiting a sketch of the new location from NHS Property Services who own the Hospital. We will share this as soon as it is available.

What will the proposed artwork in the turning circle be?  

Proposals for a Sculpture will be taken forward via the Artwork Task and Finish Group, once a proposal has been decided on this will be taken to the Trusts Charitable Funds Committee to enable fund raising to take place.

If you have a question about the project please HNF-TR.communications@nhs.net using the subject ‘Whitby FAQ’ and we will include it in a future edition.