STOMA patients in Yeovil can now receive their care in one place, after a new dedicated hospital space was opened.

Yeovil Hospital’s stoma care department previously shared clinic rooms with other specialties, making access difficult for those in need of treatment.

However, the team has now taken on a new department, in a unit on the former hospital car park, which they say is more suited to patients’ needs.

Hannah Ayling, a stoma care clinical nurse specialist at Yeovil Hospital, which is run by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Moving into this new unit means we have a self-sufficient space for our patients, so we can provide care all in one place.

“The unit has a reception area, our nursing office, and stock room, as well as three dedicated clinic rooms that we can use at one time – a huge improvement.

The new stoma care department at Yeovil Hospital

“We tend to run almost 650 outpatient clinics a year, with around 1,200 patients on our caseload, but we should now be able to see even more patients in our new environment with the additional clinic rooms available.

“Now that our clinic rooms are ventilated, we can offer irrigation services, and we will develop even more ways we can use the extra space.

“It will greatly benefit colleagues in the team too, as we can be more proactive and do more for our patients.

“Overall, it’s fantastic that patients now have their own space, which is more discreet if they experience any difficult issues.”

READ MORE: Health news from your Somerset Leveller

She said the new premises would help the team overcome challenges faced in recent years.

“With our nurses’ office based across the road from the main hospital in Convamore House, and our outpatient clinics and stock room back in the main hospital, it has been a bit of a challenge logistically when running clinics,” she said.

“Our previous clinic room was shared with our colorectal care colleagues, so if a stoma care patient rang us and they needed help quickly, we weren’t always able to see them, because we didn’t have a dedicated clinic room.

“While we’ve done our best to provide the best possible care for our patients, a few aspects have been difficult, such as our medical stock room held within our clinic room, which meant we’d have to constantly interrupt patient appointments if we needed stock.

“We also had no ventilation, so it very much felt like a cupboard with no windows – not ideal for stoma care.”

Yeovil Hospital’s stoma care team is made up of specialist nurses who provide expert care, education, and support for people with a stoma (like a colostomy, ileostomy, or urostomy) before and after surgery, helping them manage pouch changes, skin care, diet, and emotional challenges.

READ MORE: Yeovil news from your Somerset Leveller