To mark the opening, colleagues from the discharge lounge, the capital planning project team and construction partners were joined by Richard Parker, chief executive, Denise Smith, chief operating officer and Suzanne Stubbs, deputy chief operating officer at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH).

Smith said: ‘This is a fantastic new facility for the trust, offering patients a more comfortable and supportive environment as they prepare to leave our care.'

The spaces have been designed with input from clinicians specialising in dementia care, helping patients confidently navigate their surroundings, including a large mural of a bus near the exit, which acts as a visual cue to their onward journey.

Providing both bed and seated areas, the discharge lounge is supported by a dedicated team specialising in the safe and effective transition from hospital to home or onward care.

The facility is part of a wider £19.8m investment at DRI, including the relocation of the surgical same day emergency care department next month, and will pave the way for a new, purpose-built state-of-the-art department of critical care.