BABIES, children and young people receiving care at Torbay Hospital are benefiting from new patient monitoring technology following a major investment by the hospital’s League of Friends.

The investment has funded advanced monitoring equipment and central monitoring systems across several areas of the hospital, including the Special Care Baby Unit, Paediatric Emergency Department, Louisa Cary Ward and Louisa Cary High Dependency Unit. Midgley Ward, which cares for adults with respiratory conditions, has also benefited.

The new technology allows clinical teams to monitor patients more effectively and respond more quickly when concerns arise.

Patient observations can be viewed remotely from central monitoring stations as well as at the bedside, giving staff greater visibility of patients across busy clinical areas.

For children and their families, the technology can also help create a calmer hospital environment. In some areas, staff no longer need to enter patients’ rooms simply to check monitoring equipment, reducing unnecessary disruption while allowing clinical teams to maintain close oversight.

Michelle Townsend, Ward Manager for Louisa Cary Ward, said the new technology would provide reassurance for families whose children require close monitoring.

‘When a child is in hospital, families naturally want reassurance that they are being closely monitored, particularly when they are very unwell or need a higher level of observation’, she said.

‘This technology gives our teams greater flexibility in how we care for patients and means we can keep a close eye on them while creating a calmer environment for children and their families’.

The system is also expected to support staff by reducing the time spent moving between rooms to check monitoring equipment, allowing them to spend more time providing direct patient care.

Martin Tucker, Chairman of Torbay Hospital League of Friends, said the project reflected the charity’s aim of funding improvements that have a direct benefit for patients.

‘One of the things we look for when considering which projects to support is a clear benefit for patients’, he said.

‘This project stood out because it supports some of the hospital’s youngest patients while also helping the staff who care for them’.

He added that the investment had been made possible through the support of local volunteers and the wider community.

Darren Russell, Head of Clinical Engineering, described the project as the realisation of an ambition that began more than 35 years ago when he was a trainee.

Made possible by the League of Friends, he said the transformation had brought advanced technology closer to patients, with the potential to deliver ‘better care, better experiences, better outcomes and better connectivity’.

Torbay Hospital League of Friends has supported the hospital for more than 70 years.

The organisation received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2012 and continues to fund equipment and improvements beyond standard NHS provision.