The League of Friends of the former Bovey Tracey Community Hospital has donated over £40,000 towards new equipment that will help NHS patients in the local area.
The League’s donation has enabled the purchase of a range of equipment that will assist Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust’s Community Services Team who look after patients in the area. The equipment donated by the League includes:
A bladder scanner – used to determine the need or not for catheterisation. These are considered an important part of a community team’s equipment as admission to hospital can often be avoided. This can also ensure that a patient’s discomfort and anxiety can be relieved by earlier treatment.
A Doppler ultrasound scanner – a specialist piece of equipment used to assess the amount of blood flow through arteries and veins, usually those that supply blood to arms and legs. It can detect abnormal flow within an artery or blood vessel. This equipment is vital in the management of leg ulcers and peripheral vascular disease.
Syringe pump – a small, portable, battery powered infusion device used primarily to support patients in their latter stage of life by providing pain relief and symptom control medication without the continual need for injections or when patients no longer receive relief from oral medication.
Portable ECG devices that link to the nurse’s smart phone – The smartphone-based ECG works by recording a patient’s heartbeat at home while they are experiencing symptoms. The ECG result can then be sent to and accessed by a doctor who will interpret the result and a decision on treatment can be made quickly.
Avril Kerswell, Chair of Bovey Tracey’s League of Friends, said: “On behalf of Bovey Tracey’s League of Friends, we are delighted to be able to help the Community Services Team in our area by providing lifesaving equipment that will be used in their everyday working lives helping the people who need it so much.”
Stacey Tranter, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust’s Community Nurse Manager for the area, said: “We are really grateful to the League of Friends for their very generous donation and I would like to thank them on behalf of our staff and all the patients who will benefit from the new equipment.
“These ‘additional extras’ not only make our working life better but also greatly improve the services we can offer our patients. All the equipment that has been purchased by the League is portable so can be taken out to patient’s homes which can prevent them from needing to visit either their GP surgery or hospital. The League’s very kind donation will help so many of our patients and make a real difference to those who need our services in the future.”
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