Making a Difference: How charity Daring to Dream helps patients at University Hospital Wales

Did you know that nearly half of all adults in Wales are estimated to be living with at least one longstanding illness? Of those, the lives of more than half are either somewhat or severely limited by their illness.

Daring to Dream, a charity that focuses on emotional support for adult patients, has helped transform spaces within the University Hospital Wales for the emotional wellbeing of those in our care.

So far, Daring to Dream has created multiple safe spaces for patients, their families and the staff who care for them.

Quiet Rooms in hospitals are very important spaces. They are the rooms used for difficult conversations with patients and their families and it is vital that they are comforting for those in need. To support the emotional health of patients, there are now multiple refurbished quiet rooms within the hospital within General Surgery, Critical Care, Nephrology, and Cardiology. The newest quiet room within the hospital can be found in the Department of Integrated Medicine.

Daring to Dream has recently been putting a focus on improving the emotional wellness of patients within Critical Care. The ‘Visitor’s Loo’ has been recently refurbished with improved accessibility and a folding wall seat so that distressed or frail users can sit safely whilst taking time out to calm. The restroom serves as a refuge and space to be alone and is a companion space to the Quiet and Relatives’ Rooms in Critical Care that the charity had already transformed. Senior clinicians in Critical Care have conservatively estimated the rooms will impact around 43,000 people each year.

Often drab and uncomfortable, Daring to Dream helps turn quiet rooms into spaces where patients, families, and colleagues can feel at ease after receiving distressing news. Spaces where people can feel and express their emotions openly benefit the mental health of anyone that needs its calming presence.

“I just want to thank Daring to Dream for providing a space that really supported us all when we spent 5 days on the Critical Care ward, University Hospital of Wales,” said Louise Lloyd, whose husband Greg sadly passed away. “As a very close family, up to 11 of us were present in the transformed Relatives’ Room on occasions. During the most difficult week, we were so grateful to be in such a supportive space, close to my husband and be able to await news as opposed to being further away in the hospital with no privacy or worse still being miles away at home”.

Lisa Edmonds, Interim Ward Manager of C7 in the Department of Integrated Medicine at University Hospital of Wales said, “I have received so many lovely comments about our new Patients’ and Visitors’ Quiet Room in such a short period of time. Our newly made-over Quiet Room has been described as fresh, peaceful, relaxing, and calming, a haven within a busy ward environment.”

Daring to Dream is keen to support patients, their families, and colleagues within the Health Board. If you would like to receive the support of the charity, please contact them directly via: https://daringtodream.wales/contact-us/