Charity Cycle Ride In Aid Of Poole Hospital NICU. We're off Raised so far £2,924.50

To set up a ‘Telemedicine Service’ for the provision of specialist’s diagnosis and advice on neonatal cardiac care to clinicians in the Neonatal Unit at Poole Hospital.

It is our intention to operate a telemedicine link with Southampton General Hospital for urgent review of newborns requiring cardiology opinion and echo cardiography. Newborns with suspected congenital heart disease (whether inpatient on NICU or from other wards in the maternity unit, approximately 40 cases a year and it is likely that the caseload will increase as deliveries increase) would be scanned in the neonatal intensive care unit in Poole and viewed live by the cardiology team at SGH. This would generate a timely diagnosis and management plan. A significant number of these infants would have normal heart scans and we would thus prevent unnecessary transfer to SGH and provide prompt diagnosis and reassurance to family and minimise anxiety and disruption and decrease transport costs. The infant with an abnormal scan would also get a more timely diagnosis, earlier institution of appropriate management and a prioritised transfer to SGH, if need be. This system would also help in increasing scanning expertise among the neonatal team at Poole with a view of becoming more and more self reliant in the future. Examples of centres using this service: • Jersey General Hospital • Guernsey General Hospital • Royal Cornwall Hospital • Scotland7 Key Objectives: • Prompt and timely diagnosis of neonatal cardiac conditions. • Minimising the number of newborns requiring cardiac review at SGH reducing the need for transfer to and from SGH and short term stay/review at SGH. • Reduction in appointment waiting times for cardiac review for infants. • Reduced parental anxiety due to prompt review and diagnosis. • Minimise impact of need for cardiac review on family in terms of travel and disruption. • Enhanced patient access to service. • Routine cardiac consultation is not currently available at Poole Hospital NHS Trust • Newborns and their families have to travel to SGH for review • Introduction of Telemedicine Service would support the current national guidance in terms of providing care as near to families as possible, taking the service to the patient/family rather than the patient to the service: • “The Government wishes to see the majority of care for pregnant and newly-delivered mothers and their babies delivered as close to their homes as possible, and, where possible, in a setting of their and their partner's choice.” Benefits: - Rapid access to expert opinion without the need of ambulance transfer to SGH - No need to backfill nursing / medical staff - Cost effectiveness - Timely diagnosis / reassurance for family - Potential to avoid transporting the ‘unstable’ pre-term infants with e.g. PDA - Reduces appointment waiting time - Education for staff during a telemedicine conference - Transferable benefits to sick infants within hospital, e.g. A & E, Child Health and ITU as well as foetal medicine

Charity Choice is a secure online payment facility where ALL the money that you donate goes to the charity

(The donation will go into the 'Poole Hospital NHS Trust Charitable Funds' account, ALL money paid into this account from Charity Choice will be allocated to the NICU.)

For More Information Email