Published on: 13th April 2021
Our electroconvulsive therapy suite at Royal Oldham Hospital has been redesigned, to make the experience for patients as calming as possible.
The suite now features murals to make it look friendlier, based on previous feedback.
This redesign was funded by money from NHS Charities Together, which supports projects that improve services for patients.
So far the team have had positive feedback from patients, with one person saying: “Nice to have this to look at before going to sleep, nice distraction from what can be an anxiety experience.”
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for severe or psychotic depression, particularly in life threatening situations, or moderate to severe depression where other treatments have failed. It is also a treatment option for severe mania and catatonia.
ECT involves passing a carefully calculated electric current through the brain and is always carried out by a specialist doctor, under a general anaesthetic.
Nichola Kinane, ECT clinical lead nurse for Oldham, said: “ECT is an effective treatment which gives hope to people who are most severely unwell.
“We want people to feel reassured and relaxed at all times, and hope the redesigned suite helps to do this.”
