Rockinghorse Children’s Charity Launches Campaign For Vital Equipment At Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital.

In a typical week in the Emergency Department (ED) at The Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital, staff see around 700 children. With symptoms ranging from allergic reactions to broken bones, upset tummies to serious medical emergencies, the staff within the department are experts at being able to respond quickly to whatever they are faced with.

But while they may have the knowledge and experience to help thousands of children every year, they need the best equipment to be able to support their work and help diagnose and treat their young patients as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Which is why Rockinghorse are launching their new campaign to raise funds for a brand-new £50,000 Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) machine for the children’s ED at the much-loved children’s hospital.

For staff working at the sharp end of children’s healthcare, being able to quickly and accurately assess a child’s condition is incredibly important. Saving valuable minutes with a diagnosis can make all the difference when it comes to the correct treatment and potential outcomes.

Which is why this clever bit of kit is so important.

Ultrasound scanning has been used for many years by specialists such as cardiologists, radiologists and obstetricians. It’s a non-invasive scan that uses sound waves to create images of internal organs, tissues, muscles and blood vessels along with the heart. 

The POCUS uses this same technology as a normal ultrasound but instead of the patient having to go to where the machine is located, it brings it to the patient’s bedside. Not only does this help to aid a speedy diagnosis, but it also reduces treatment time and helps reduce the anxiety a patient and their family feels during an already stressful situation.

The charity previously funded one of these machines for the department 12 years ago but whilst it has proved extraordinarily useful it’s now showing its age and replacement parts are no longer manufactured.

Recently a three-month-old baby was transferred to the children’s ED in Brighton from another hospital to get a specialist paediatric surgical opinion on their concerns about a blockage in the baby’s stomach.

When they arrived, the baby was unwell and needed an urgent intravenous cannula in order to give the fluids and antibiotics they desperately needed. Owing to the baby’s size and previous attempts at the referring hospital, this was only possible with the use of ultrasound to make sure the cannula went into the right place first time.

Thanks to the use of a POCUS the cannula was successfully placed, and the medications were able to be administered. The team at The Alex were then able to use the POCUS again at the patient’s bedside to look at their tummy and try and understand why they had a blockage.

They were able to see that the bowel had telescoped into itself, which needed to be urgently treated or the blood supply to the gut could be compromised, meaning more complicated surgery or even parts of bowel needing to be removed.

Being able to identify the problem right at the bedside saved valuable time and meant that the team could organise appropriate treatment without delay. The baby’s bowel was successfully cured by the surgical team and the baby is now doing well.

Dr Dan Yusef, Consultant Paediatrician in the Emergency Department and HDU at The Alex, submitted the application to Rockinghorse to replace this vital piece of kit. He said, “Having this POCUS makes a huge impact on the care that we can provide every single day.

“Being able to quickly and effectively diagnose a child in a serious or critical condition, means that we can get them the treatment they need as soon as possible. This not only helps them and their family but means that we can see more children and speed up waiting times within the department – a plus for so many.

“This machine really can make the difference between life and death, and it forms an absolutely vital part of our work here at the hospital.”

Fran Masey O’Neill, Project Manager at Rockinghorse said: “We rely in our wonderful colleagues within the NHS to tell us exactly how we can best help support their work. And this is exactly what’s happened with this ultrasound machine. It will have such a huge positive impact on the thousands of babies, children and young people that come through the Emergency Department every year.

“Knowing the projects and equipment that will make the most difference to the support the NHS are able to provide to local children and families is so important. This means that our supporters know that when they donate, or fundraise for us, they are directly impacting on sick children within their community.”

If you would like to support of your local children’s charity and fundraise for this vital piece of equipment, just take a look at the Rockinghorse website where you can find out more and donate. Just visit www.rockinghorse.org.uk or call them on 01273 330044.