An end of treatment bell is a familiar sight across cancer care wards, being rung by patients who have finished treatment – but at Oswestry’s specialist orthopaedic hospital, the bell has been celebrating milestones for spinal injury patients.
The newly installed bell signifies the end of patients’ stay on the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital.
The installation of the end of treatment bell was the idea of Lauren Hutchinson, MCSI Sister at the Oswestry-based hospital.
She said: “Although patients will be discharged from their stay on the unit, the majority will remain life-long patients of MCSI, regularly visiting for outpatient appointments.
“Instead of signifying end of treatment, we are using the bell to recognise the milestones and achievements made by patients, who tend to stay with us for upwards of six months.”
The bell was donated by charity End of Treatment Bells, who aim to help people celebrate milestones throughout treatment and have donated almost 450 bells across the UK and overseas.
Each bell has a poem displayed with it – which patients are encouraged to read aloud before ringing the bell. The poem on the MCSI bell is bespoke to represent the cohort of patients.
Lauren added: “It’s lovely when a patient rings the bell, as the whole multi-disciplinary team including nurses, therapists, doctors, psychologists and more, get together to celebrate the patient and what they have accomplished in their time on the unit.
“I’d like to say thank you to End of Treatment Bells for donating the bell to the unit.”
Pictured: Ward Sister Lauren Hutchinson and patient Duncan Tift with the discharge bell.
