A glam dram in cocktails for unit patients

The glamorous waitresses, Joanna and Ella, poured healthy cocktails at a party for patients at Clifton Hospital as part of national Nutrition and Hydration Week.

Joanna, whose grandmother has dementia, said it was a pleasure to serve the patients.

She said: “My grandma has dementia so it’s nice to be able to come in here and help people in a similar situation.

“It has been a nice experience. If you’re in hospital it’s good to see something different. It cheers you up a bit.”

Linda Broadbent, manager of Ward 1 at Clifton Hospital, said: “Joanna and Ella have been great – everyone has been very excited.

“It’s something colourful and different for the patients.

“We’ve been working on this for weeks. We thought we’d have a Caribbean theme.

“Patients with dementia see a lot of things in black and white so a big splash of vivid colour can liven things up.

“Patients have helped to paint the palm trees and staff have come in on their days off to help out.

“To link in with Nutrition and Hydration Week we have used milk and fruit in the cocktails.”

Many other events have been taking place during National Nutrition and Hydration Week, which started on Monday last week and ended on Friday.

Staff at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust organised the events for patients and employees.

Nigel Fort, associate director for facilities for the Trust, volunteered to go in the ‘stocks’ and staff raised money for the Trust’s Blue Skies Hospitals Fund by paying to squirt Nigel with a water gun.

And speech and language therapy staff on the hospital’s stroke unit made nutritious and tasty fruit cocktails for patients with swallowing difficulties on Tuesday, March 15.

They did the same for patients at Clifton Hospital at a tea party on Wednesday, March 16.