Patient experience for young patients further improved thanks to a new "Sound Ear" funded by UHNM Charity

Patients to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Staffordshire Children's Hospital at Royal Stoke will have an improved and hopefully shortened stay thanks to a new piece of equipment which will help to reduce delirium in young children.

Children with delirium temporarily behave differently than usual and may react strangely to their environment and people around them and it is therefore, important to ensure the environment is as calm as possible to help orientate the child to their surroundings.  When their physical condition improves, the confusion often lessens and eventually goes away.

Kathryn Lea, Paediatric Intensive Care Senior Sister, said: "The Sound Ear will help the unit to keep the noise to a minimum to enable our patients to receive a calm environment during their stay with us.  Preventing delirium can help patients recover quicker, it can help them sleep better whilst they are in hospital, as well as having a better day and night routine.  It can also decrease the amount of medication our patients have to take while on ventilated equipment and reduce the length of stay that they have in hospital."

Steve Rushton, Head of UHNM Charity, said: “Time spent in the Paediatric Critical Care Unit can be a stressful time for our young patients and their families. But thanks to our amazing supporters we were delighted to fund the purchase of the Sound Ear, helping to ensure that their time spent on the unit is as calm as possible, as well as improving the overall outcomes of our patients along their hospital journey.”

If you would like to fundraise for UHNM Charity visit uhnmcharity.org.uk