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Melanie Ayton (L&D)

Melanie Ayton (Bank HCA) is one of our October runners-up, being nominated for her ability to put her patients at ease in challenging situations:

“We came into the hospital via A&E with suspected appendicitis and quickly found ourselves up on the children’s ward. Our first encounter was with Melanie, she made us feel at home, reassured us and put our child at ease.

“The next day was surgery. She was there to reassure me. The surgery overran and Mel kept phoning down to recovery for any news and kept us updated. She was wonderful. Without her I would have fallen apart.

“Two days later our child needed surgery again. As soon as Mel found out she came straight to us to check we were all okay. My daughter was very down, Mel took the time to wash her, brush her hair and generally try and boost her confidence. It worked wonders.

“Mel went above and beyond. She is a lovely caring lady and we both can’t thank her enough. Don’t stop being fab!”

Melanie receiving her award from Louise and Marva

Unexpected closure of lifts in Beeden House and reduced lift capacity in the Main Block, Bedford Hospital

Beeden House

We have had to make the difficult decision to close both lifts in Beeden House after finding an unexpected fault during routine maintenance.

This means that there will be disruption to services and appointments on the upper floors of Beeden House.

We are currently contacting patients to find the best individual solution for them, minimise disruption and ensure they continue to receive the care they need. At this point you do not need to contact us, we will contact all affected patients.

The decision to close the lifts was hard, but we felt it was the safest decision to best protect our patients and staff.

Reduced lift capacity in the Main Block

Please be aware our lifts in the Main Block currently have reduced capacity. In order to maintain lift functions and minimise traffic in the remaining lifts, we will be prioritising high priority movements.

Staff, patients and visitors can access the main block lifts if required, but may be asked to wait at main reception while other priority movements are made. A minimum of 4 people will be required before the lift departs. Security staff operating the lifts will be mindful that not all disabilities are visible and make appropriate accommodations for non-ambulant staff and visitors.

We apologise for the inconvenience the closure of lifts and reduced lift capacity will cause.

Thank you to everyone for your patience and support.