Money donated to Conquest Hospital for new equipment

The Conquest Critical Care team thanked the League of Friends of Bexhill Hospital for their generous support in purchasing two pieces of vital clinical equipment.

A total of 12,500 was donated by the Friends to buy two nasoendoscopes, which will be predominantly used to treat critically ill patients from Hastings, Bexhill and surrounding areas.

The specialist equipment uses fibre-optic technology to allow clinicians to view a patient's windpipe when performing a surgical procedure on the neck called a tracheostomy.

The nasoendoscopes will also be used on other patients to assess them for their ability to swallow and speak after being connected to ventilators for prolonged periods of time.

These procedures will predominantly be performed by anaesthetic consultant Dr Gerard Gould while working towards teaching trainees, assisting speech and language therapists and the Ear, Nose and Throat specialists.

Dr Nick McNeillis, director of intensive care and deputy medical director for performance, said: "These scopes are non-stimulating, meaning patients are comfortable when they are being used. They help with the swallowing of the patient and allow them to get back to eating and drinking.

"They also allow us to visualise the procedure on a screen so that other members of staff can see the procedure for teaching purposes and if necessary produce a permanent record on DVD or hard copy.

"They will be used in a number of different areas and we are all very grateful to the Friends for their kind financial assistance."