This in from the Friends of the St Mary’s, in their own words. Ed
Two specialist couches intended to improve the comfort of patients in the Cardiac Investigation Unit of St Mary’s Hospital were officially handed over by the Friends of the hospital yesterday.
Costing together £5,532.68, the Echo couches are designed to accommodate patients lying on their side while undergoing a probe of their chest with a nearby Echo machine producing ultra-sound pictures of the heart.
Grateful for donations
“We are very appreciative of this generous donation by the Friends,” said Jane Bloomfield, Principal Cardiac Physiologist. “The old couches were ten years old which as well as being less comfortable were becoming so perished we feared they could become an infection risk.
“The new couches are also good for the staff, reducing the possibility of repetitive strain injury.”
While one couch is dedicated to ultra-sound the other, in a nearby room, is multi-purpose, and also used for ECG purposes – reading the heart’s electrical activity. “Both couches are well-used, each taking up to a dozen patients every day,” said Jane.
The Friends is an organisation largely made up of volunteers. It provides additional equipment and facilities to the NHS on the Island, thanks to the profits from its hospital shop and cafeterias, plus donations and legacies.
