A GENEROUS legacy donation left to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton by a woman who praised their work has enabled a ward makeover.

The late Audrey Francis Rowe left a £162,000 donation for Musgrove Park Hospital's Fielding ward where her late husband Victor was cared for.

The ward looks after cardiac patients, and a four week refurbishment project took place, upgrading many of the clinical areas and improving the privacy and dignity of patients.

The ward was officially opened today, (October 25) by Robert Munroe, the executor of Mrs Rowe's will and also a family friend of Mr and Mrs Rowe who lived in Burnham-on-Sea.

He cut the ribbon and a cake, and said how wonderful the improvements were and how highly Mrs Rowe spoke of the work and care given by the staff at Musgrove Park Hospital.

He said: "I am absolutely delighted to see what the money has enabled the hospital to do on this ward.

"Audrey's husband Victor was cared for on this ward, and she thought very highly of the wonderful staff, I know she would be over the moon to see what her money has helped to achieve."

Staff, patients and their families enjoyed a morning of celebrations to mark the official opening.

As part of the work, the ward now has a bolder colour scheme and clearer signage to help patients and visitors find their way around.

It also has a much larger wheelchair-friendly wet room and purpose-built clinical preparation room for medicines.

Nurse-led teams from the think tank the King's Fund, worked with patients to improve the environment.

Jackiee Phillips, senior sister on Fielding ward, said: "As a sister on the ward I feel very privileged and overwhelmed by this generous donation.

"The work done has transformed the environment for our patients, visitors and staff.

"By making some structural changes to the ward, we have not only enhanced the patient environment, but have also taken care back to the bed space."

Karen Holden, associate director of patient centred care at Musgrove Park Hospital said she was delighted that the hospital could continue the great work to make its environment more patient-friendly.

She added: "Most patients who stay on Fielding ward have arrived following a cardiac emergency, so they can often feel anxious.

"The work we have done will go a long wat to making them feel more comfortable in their new surroundings during their stay with us.

"The bold colours at the entrance of each bay make it much easier for patients to find their bed space, and the lighting and flooring creates a less clinical and more homely feel to the ward.

"We have also moved the reception area as we wanted to ensure we had a meet and greet area as the focal point on entering the ward."

The improvements were particularly welcomed by Ivor Holdman and his wife Heather from Cannington.

Mr Holdman suffered from two serious heart attacks nine years ago and has been in and out of the hospital for regular treatment ever since.

They had nothing but praise for the staff on the ward and the heart team who they described as marvellous.

Mrs Holdman added that the staff were all worth their weight in gold, and that they had always received excellent care at the hospital.

Mr Holdman was the first patient on the ward following the refurbishment.

He said: "It's brilliant and the wet room is absolutely marvellous in particular.

"All of the staff here are wonderful and I've always had such wonderful care, there's not a thing I could fault."