Patients at the RUH in Bath are to benefit from a new piece of medical equipment, thanks to generous donations and fundraising activities by staff, former patients, their families and the public.
The Forrester Brown Trauma and Orthopaedic ward at the RUH, which cares for patients who have had major surgery, major trauma as well as treating acutely unwell patients, needed a bladder scanner machine, which cost £6,700. With the fundraising target achieved, the machine is now in use on the ward.
The machine does exactly what it’s called, using ultrasound it scans a patient’s bladder to determine the volume, helping staff manage incontinence care, reduce catheter intervention as well as identify if a patient’s kidneys are functioning well pre or post operation.
Georgina Gallagher, ward manager on Forrester Brown ward said: “On behalf of my team, we would like to thank everyone who has made a donation to help us purchase this machine.
“Many of our patients, their relatives and visitors gave generously as they wanted to give something back in return for the care they received, and we are truly grateful for their support.
“This machine will be used for lots of our patients but it’s particularly helpful to use on patients who are living with dementia as it’s non-invasive, safe to use, giving high resolution diagnostic images and providing the results immediately. It’s helping my team to make the best decisions for our patients.
“It was a real team effort by all to raise the money. My staff also got stuck in with the fundraising and took part in The Forever Friends Appeal’s Walk of Life event, walking 10 miles and 26.2 miles for sponsorship money.
“We also held cake sales at the RUH and I’d like to thank Gala Bingo in Bristol who gave us a hamper to raffle and Waitrose in Melksham which donated £500 as our ward was chosen to benefit from their community matters box scheme.”
This year, with the help of hospital charity, The Forever Friends Appeal, the ward staff are planning to do more fundraising to fund a mobility aid called a Sara Stedy which ensures sit-to-stand transfers are carried out safely and with ease, and a chair with removable arm rests suitable for helping transfer patients from a chair to a bed when they are unable to weight bear.
Anyone wishing to make a donation to support a ward and department at the RUH can be made online via The Forever Friends Appeal website: www.foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk.
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