Critical care team commended

The Western Trust along with colleagues in the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a commendation at the Awards ceremony in London recently. With more than 700 applicants for the awards, receiving second place in the Critical Care Category was a tremendous achievement a spokesperson for the Trust said.

The safe transportation of critically ill children has been an area of intense interest by Western Trust staff for a number of years. Responding to situations where children require transfer from a Trust hospital to a specialist provision, for example a child with meningitis to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, led the Trust to develop improved transfer equipment.

With the assistance of Neal McAlister, Principal Critical Care Technologist, the Critical Care staff looked at how such transfers could be done as safely as possible.

Dr Patrick Stewart, consultant anaesthetist, said: “Working with the anaesthetists, John McClintock of the Ambulance Service and the PSNI, we started to look at ways to make the whole process easier and safer.

“A purpose-made mobile intensive care bed was developed – an ambulance trolley fitted with up to date equipment in a ready to go fashion, doing away with the need to attach equipment.

“With Dr Greg DiMascio’s knowledge of electronics the unit was equipped for an electricity supply to eliminate reliance on batteries. Working with the PSNI and Ambulance Service there was closer communication about the need for and use of police escorts. The team was given access to the 999 system to ensure rapid response by the Ambulance Service.

“We liaised with Jackie McGrellis, Agnes Diamond, Brian McFetridge and Caroline Harley to put in place a course for nursing and ambulance staff to give everyone familiarity with and confidence in the procedures involved in delivering high quality care in what are very difficult circumstances.

“Within a year we noticed an improvement in staff morale, recognition by medical staff of a process with ownership and a reduction in the times transfers took of nearly 40 per cent,” he said.

Having been involved in more than 80 transfers of patients of all ages with this equipment, the Critical Care Team presented the project for review by the National Patient Safety Awards and received the commendation.

Dr Stewart added: “Funding has just been secured for similar equipment for the Trust’s Erne Hospital. Ultimately we hope to extend aspects of the project province-wide to better the lot of these vulnerable patients.”