HEALTH bosses are planning to spend £300,000 on improvements to a hospital ward dating back to the 1930s.

The Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust is to spend £300,000 on improvements to the Duchess of Kent Ward, at Scarborough.

Known as a Nightingale ward, it is a traditional long ward with beds down either side, and was opened in 1936.

Chief executive Alison Guy said: "The NHS is committed to replacing all of the old-fashioned Nightingale wards, because they just can't provide the standards of safety, privacy and dignity that today's patients expect and deserve.

"However, it will be some years before we are able to completely vacate the five Nightingale wards in the old part of Scarborough Hospital, and it isn't reasonable to expect our patients to have to put up with out-of-date and really rather run-down accommodation.

"In recognition of this, the trust board has agreed that we will fund a rolling programme of ward refurbishments, starting with Duchess of Kent Ward, on May 1."

To compensate for the temporary reduction in bed numbers, space on other wards will be re-allocated.