03 February 2015
State-of-the-art intensive care unit opens at Bristol Royal Infirmary
From today the sickest adult patients will be cared for in a
brand new state-of-the-art Intensive Care Unit at University
Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust as part of the £143 million
redevelopment programme. Until recently it has been housed in a
facility originally opened more than 20 years ago.
The new intensive care unit provides the very latest technology
and state-of-the-art healthcare facilities to deliver the very best
care for adult critically ill patients.
Dr Tim Gould, consultant intensivist at University Hospital
Bristol said: "The adult intensive care unit at University Hospital
Bristol is one of the busiest in the UK and consistently performs
in the top 10 of all adult intensive care units in the country
according to nationally audited and published data."
The new unit will utilise the most modern technology including
fully computerised equipment for monitoring of patients' vital
signs, recording of all patient notes and electronic prescribing,
thereby removing the requirement for paper records and greatly
improving patient safety and drug management. This system has been
further customised by the intensive care team at UH Bristol to send
alerts regarding a patient's clinical condition directly to the
responsible medical team via smart phone or tablet computer
immediately alerting them to any change in the patient's condition.
This is the first system of its kind in the UK.
Dr Gould said: "This type of "intelligent surveillance"
monitoring makes us aware instantly of any problems developing in
our patients. We can then respond very rapidly to any concerns with
real time information, allowing us to make the 'right decision at
the right time'. Ultimately this will make the intensive care unit
an even safer place for critically ill patients and ensures they
recover faster and with fewer complications".
There will be new 'isolation' cubicles allowing clinicians to
care safely for patients and protect those with weak immune systems
or with highly infectious diseases. Each bed space is
purposely designed with minimal furnishings to allow thorough
cleaning and disinfection to minimise the risk of patients catching
infections whilst in hospital. It will also greatly enhance privacy
for each patient and their family.
As well as the benefits for patients, the new facility will also
features additional benefits for relatives. A new, spacious visitor
waiting area with a kitchen facility is a huge improvement over the
existing unit, where relatives often had to sit in a hospital
corridor. There are also dedicated rooms available for
families requiring more privacy and two bedrooms with ensuite
facilities if relatives need to stay overnight to be near to their
loved ones.
The cost of the new monitoring system will be met by the
fundraising efforts of our hospitals' charity Above & Beyond,
whose Golden Gift Appeal is seeking to raise a total of £6 million
for projects which are above and beyond what the NHS can typically
provide, helping to transform Bristol's city centre hospitals for
generations to come. Drummond Forbes, Chairman of Trustees at Above
& Beyond said: "Critically ill patients in intensive care at
the BRI are among the sickest in the country - if we or our loved
ones needed that care we'd want it to be the very best it could
be.
"Everyone donating to our charity's Golden Gift Appeal will be
helping to raise the funds needed for a world-class intensive care
monitoring system here in Bristol. You will be making a real
difference to so many patients - and helping our doctors and nurses
to save even more lives."
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