UHNM Charity launch appeal to help fund new scanner at Staffordshire Children’s Hospital at Royal Stoke

Staffordshire Children’s Hospital at Royal Stoke is appealing to kind-hearted fundraisers to support their UHNM Charity appeal for a new scanner to help make inserting cannulas and taking blood tests in babies and children less stressful for patients and families.

Staffordshire Children’s Hospital, which is part of University Hospitals of North Midlands, is appealing for people to dig deep and help raise funds to purchase a new scanner called a vein finder, which will help take away the stress and upset which often comes when taking a blood test or inserting a canula in a very young child.

Evelyn Chia, Paediatric Consultant, said: “Paediatric canulisation is already a specialised skill. Even the most experienced practitioners find it extremely difficult canulating severely ill or poorly patients and this can prevent or delay the delivery of life saving treatment or medication.

“With the use of modern ultra-sound equipment vascular access can be made far easier and quicker as it can be done under ultra-sound guidance and enables a practitioner to access vascular quicker.”

She added: “Being able to image organs at the bed side such as lungs, heart and kidneys with the modern equipment can also speed up diagnoses and treatment which is often key to treating critically unwell babies and children.”

Many premature babies have a number of cannulas very young and it can make it difficult to find new veins to use.

Mum, Josie Wheeler, of Hixon, near Stafford, said using the scanner had made things much less stressful for her and her son Harry. She said: “He has had had three separate cannulas and they were running out of space to find a vein and he has had so many blood tests as well so it’s been really difficult to find a vein.

“There is nowhere else to go really, so the use of the scanner has been really positive for him and much less stressful because it causes him upset and us as well, nice to see that with the scanner you can make it quick and easy.”

If you want to support Staffordshire Children’s Hospitals at Royal Stoke please contact UHNM Charity for a fundraising pack or visit www.uhnmcharity.org.uk