Westfield lends a helping hand to expectant mums
Westfield Health has donated more than £35,000 in a bid to make childbirth safer for expectant mothers across Sheffield.
The money has been given to The Jessop Wing at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to help purchase a ‘Sonosite M Turbo Machine’ – an innovative, portable ultrasound machine for use by both anaesthetic and obstetric medical staff.
Designed to increase patient safety, the machine has three ultrasound ‘probes’ that can be used to help guide a variety of treatments and scans within The Jessop Wing’s labour and obstetric departments.
Dr Fleur Roberts, Consultant Anaesthetist in obstetrics at The Jessop Wing, said: “The new ultrasound machine is very advanced and produces fantastic images to aid our patient management.
“We can use it to carry out multiple procedures, such as guiding the insertion of drips into neck veins, the insertion of epidurals and performing detailed foetal measurement scans, which in turn can increase the safety of both mother and child.”
More than 7,000 babies are delivered at The Jessop Wing every year, ranging from straightforward births to highly complicated pregnancies with underlying medical problems.
Dr Roberts said: “The care provided during childbirth requires a number of different, sometimes complex, procedures to ensure that the mother has a safe delivery.
“The beauty of this new machine is that whether it’s a caesarean section or a natural birth, the ultrasound machine can be shared between the anaesthetic and obstetric departments to help with pain management and a safe delivery.
“For example, the machine can be used to look for internal bleeding in the woman’s abdomen after a caesarean – helping to detect the problem early on and treat it properly.
“It can also be used to scan the woman’s abdomen and back, allowing the doctor to accurately guide the needle into the skin, when administering an anaesthetic injection or performing an epidural.
“The purchase of this machine is very important to our junior medical staff in both anaesthesia and obstetrics in order to learn the necessary skills required for their training.
“It will bring many benefits to both our patients and our staff here at The Jessop Wing, and we’re eternally grateful to Westfield Health for their kind donation.”
Graham Moore, Chairman of Westfield Health, said: “The Jessop Wing is a vital resource for women across Sheffield. Thousands of babies are delivered there every year and the safety of both mother and child is priority.
“The Sonosite M Turbo Ultrasound Machine will benefit many expectant mothers across Sheffield, helping to make sure their experience of childbirth goes as smoothly as possible. Westfield is delighted to have played a part in the purchase of such a fundamental piece of equipment.”
© Westfield Health Insurance 2012
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