Turn up to Walsall Manor Hospital’s Fracture Clinic and you might get more than you bargained for as there are some spooky goings on!

A corner of the plaster room where patients have their broken limbs plastered has been transformed into a Halloween display, complete with a witch and full mummified human skeleton.

The scary creation is the brainchild of Orthopaedic Technician Paul Foster, who has been urged on by Physiotherapist Bea Kinahan.

“Halloween is quite a thing these days and I was talking to Bea about some ideas and she said ‘why don’t you do something?’ so we did,” said Paul.

In between patients’ appointments and several lunchtimes, Paul transformed the corner of the room into a ghoulish grotto.

A pumpkin was swiftly followed by the arrival of a mummified skeleton called Fred, a witch complete with hat and broomstick, a spider’s web and even sweet treats for the patients.

“It’s mostly all from bits of out-of-date stock left over for training,” added Paul, 42, a father of three from Aldridge who has worked in the clinic since December. “The witch is made from two towels and stocking net, her hat is made from cardboard and the bones from the skeleton are teaching tools.”

But there is a more serious objective as well. “The plaster saw can be quite loud so things like this display can take the patients’ mind off what’s going on,” explained Paul. “It’s also a bit of fun for the kids at a time when they have had a tough time of it with the pandemic.”

The display is attracting so much attention that colleagues are joking about renaming the area ‘the polter-cast room’ instead of the plaster room!

Paul says the display has gone down a treat with younger patients. “We’ve had some asking if they can have their photos taken with it and they love it – especially when they know sweets are there!” he said.

Colleague and Orthopaedic Practitioner Sue Bourke said: “We have some poorly patients so the more we can do to put them at ease, the better it is and they love it.”