NEW PAGERS GIVE PATIENTS THE FREEDOM OF THE HOSPITAL AT RJAH

A novel new pager system is being used at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital – giving patients more freedom as they wait to go for surgery. Usually pagers are used by clinical staff in oncall situations or in reporting to certain wards and departments. But the Baschurch Day Unit at the Oswestry-based hospital has cleverly turned that on its head – so patients do not have to hang around in a waiting room until they are called. The RJAH League of Friends, who actively raise funds for the Trust, bought the equipment - which is similar to systems used in many restaurants to let customers know when their table is ready. The Baschurch Day Unit nursing team came up with the idea. Manager Rachael Flood said: “It’s a great way to allow patients waiting for surgery a bit of freedom. “Like in many hospitals, the phone signal is a little patchy and some patients don’t have mobile phones, so we couldn’t let them go very far. The system comes with 15 square devices which can be signed out by patients and relatives. They then get a blue box-like pager, which will call them back to the Unit for their appointment. The range of a device covers the whole hospital site as far as the car park limits. When a patient needs to be recalled back to the unit, the device flashes and vibrates for two minutes. “A big advantage is that we can sign them out for relatives” Rachel adds. “They can go and get a coffee and not be confined to the waiting area when a patient is in surgery or having treatment. “Patients are enjoying having the option of going to other parts of the hospital to wait. It’s making them feel more comfortable to be here during what can be a stressful time for them and their relatives.” The League of Friends Manager Victoria Sugden said: “Baschurch Unit has patients coming in early in the morning and having to wait in the waiting room until called for their operation. Now the whole hospital can be their waiting room! “So we agreed with Rachel that it would be great to give patients the chance to stretch their legs, go read a paper etc, without worrying about missing their appointments. We are always looking for innovative ways to help patients and staff, so we were only too happy to help. “We want to support the hospital as much as we can. So anything that improves the experience of patients like this is great. That’s why we’re here.” Pictured: League of Friends Manager Victoria Sugden and Baschurch Day Unit Manager Rachael Flood with the new pager devices.