NEW equipment worth £19,000 has been donated to Furness General Hospital to help improve the quality of care for patients.

The cash came from the Hospital Equipment Fund for Furness (HEFF) charity, which raises money to provide little extras that help make the hospital experience better for the 365,000 people who live across Morecambe Bay.

Judith Read, charity co-ordinator of Bay Hospitals Charity, which oversees fundraising at hospitals in Barrow, Kendal and Lancaster, said: “We are very lucky to have such loyal and committed support from the HEFF Committee. They work tirelessly to raise funds for their local hospital, and since their formation, they have raised well over £1million, which is an amazing testament to them. The newly funded equipment is already making a difference at the hospital and on behalf of the trust and staff at FGH; I offer them our grateful thanks.”

The new equipment includes a Bispectral index (BIS) monitor for the anaesthetics department, which is used to monitor Electroencephalography (EEG) waves coming out of the brain. The equipment helps anaesthetists to ensure the exact amount of anaesthetic is administered and further reduces any risks to the patient.

Tabs mats and alarms have also been funded by HEFF for Ward 2. These are sensor pads that patients sit on either in bed or on a chair. When a patient stands up the pad will bleep, alerting staff so they can respond to the patient’s movement. These pads are used to try to reduce the risk of a patient falling.

Ward staff across the hospital have also benefited from 25 handheld pulse oximeters, which are used to monitor the oxygen saturation of a patient’s blood and will help support improvement work on reducing cardiac arrests by ensuring observations are taken to a high standard.

And The Elective Orthopaedic Unit has also received a new bladder scanner. The unit primarily cares for patients undergoing knee and hip replacements so the majority of patients have surgery under a spinal anaesthetic. The scanner will allow patients bladders to be assessed beforehand determining whether or not a catheter is needed before the operation takes place.