Equipment
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity can fund cutting edge and innovative equipment that the NHS can not provide through core funding. This means that patients are able to access new treatments earlier.
Equipment
UHBFT provides world class medical care for its patients within the NHS. However, the charity can provide equipment that is over and above core NHS funding that may be either cutting edge medical equipment not currently available within the NHS, or additional machines that will be of direct patient benefit, through reducing waiting times or giving a more individual service to patients who don’t have to share equipment.
In 2009/10, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity spent £2,319,000 on new equipment. (2008/09: £300,000)
Some of major items of equipment purchased are detailed below:
| Designated Fund | Equipment | £ |
| General Fund | Wireless digital radiography system | 100,000 |
| General Fund | Transoesophageal echocardiogram machine | 86,500 |
| Liver Foundation Fund | Laparoscopic ultrasound machine | 63,131 |
| Rheumatology Research Fund | Siemens portable ultrasound machine | 44,500 |
| Renal Fund | Theatre Ultrasound systems | 30,000 |
| Brain Tumour Fund | Fibre optic fluorometer | 27,100 |
| Trauma Fund | Cerebral somaetic oximeter | 18,000 |
| Kidney SLE Fund | CADD Solis pump | 17,497 |
Case Study 1 – New ECMO carts make a huge difference to patients
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity purchased two ECMO carts which will help provide complex treatment to patients in the Wellcome Trust Critical Care Unit at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
UHBFT is one of only two centres in the UK which provides the specialised respiratory support called Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) to adults. An extracorporeal medical procedure is a procedure which is performed outside the body and the term ‘oxygenation’ refers to the technique of providing both cardiac and respiratory support oxygen to patients whose heart and lungs can no longer perform this function.
To date, equipment is shared with other departments, but with the arrival of the new Maquet Sprinter ECMO carts, the team at the Wellcome Trust Critical Care unit will be able to offer this life-saving treatment more easily.
Dr Tom Clutton-Brock, Consultant Senior Lecturer Anaesthesia & Intensive Care, said
“This new piece of equipment will really benefit patients. It’s a great addition to the department and will help us provide the best in care here at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.”
Case Study 2 – High Definition Microscope Camera System for eye operations
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity has purchased a new camera system that will be used with military and NHS patients undergoing eye surgery.
A military plastic surgeon identified a way of improving complex eye microsurgery under general anaesthetic.
With the aid of a high-tech camera the team providing surgical and nursing support in the operating theatre are able to watch the surgery from outside the theatre and anticipate the next steps in surgery.
Whilst the main patient benefit in the short term is that patients will be under general anaesthetic for a shorter period of time because of efficient movement of staff, in the long term there will be major training benefits. Because the surgery can be viewed outside the operating room more staff can be trained and taught with live situations, meaning more staff are taught the world-leading specialist techniques that have been developed here in Birmingham through the wide range of trauma injuries, especially amongst military patients.
Case Study 3 – New ultrasound machine for rheumatology patients
The Rheumatology department took delivery of a £44,500 ultrasound machine purchased using a grant from Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity.
Mike Hammond, Chief Executive of the charity presented the ultrasound machine to the rheumatology team.
Dr Simon Bowman, Consultant Rheumatologist, said “The benefit of the new machine is that it is available to us in our clinic – patients can get an ultrasound assessment of their joints straightaway. Over the next decade it is very likely that this will become a routine component of rheumatology care and we are very pleased that our patients are now amongst the first in the country to benefit from this approach”
Back to Why we need your help“The hospital charity provides those added extras that make a huge difference to the lives of military patients and their families. Thank you for your support”
Harry Wallace
Royal Centre for Defence Medicine staff nurse
