Colleagues from North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, service users and other guests gathered in the garden at the Trust’s Edward Myers Unit this week as a new outdoor gym facility was officially opened for the Unit.
Dr Derrett Watts, Consultant Psychiatrist at North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, and Jayne Hazell from New Beginnings Group cut the ribbon to open the new state-of-the-art facility.
The new equipment includes arm and pedal bikes, health walkers, a double slalom skier and various other upper and lower body equipment.
Jalibani Ndebele, Associate Director, Specialist Care Directorate, said:
“This will be an amazing opportunity for patients who come to Edward Myers to be able to continue their journey of recovery and be able to participate in a range of exercise activities whilst they are within the Unit, of which we hope that they can continue to enjoy after discharge.”
Dr Derrett Watts commented on the importance of the gym:
“Physical exercise is a vital part of recovery as it can be done with a group or alone as some people need to mix with other’s and the opening of the gym today makes people feel valued and will help boost self-esteem in the long term.“
On the same day, the new pool table in the lounge of the Edward Myers Unit was revealed.
Jayne Hazell from New Beginnings reflected on the importance of the pool table within the Unit:
“At the pool table you can get everyone together and talking, get them motivated and 10 minutes of pool will be just brilliant.
“Doing stuff like this, when the nurses join, it makes you feel like a human being again.”
