Staff at St Mary’s Hospital no longer have to squabble over the use of a specialist piece of equipment thanks to a generous donation.
Earlier this year the Friends of St Mary’s Hospital purchased a hand-held Tonometer for the Eye Department. The news, as reported by Island Echo, quoted a staff member saying “We have quite a squabble over who gets to use it in one of the nine consulting rooms!”. This caught the attention of an Islander who wanted to help by purchasing of a second Tonometer.
A generous donor – who wants to remain anonymous – made contact with the Trust and offered to fund half the costs of a second Tonometer. The Friends of St Mary’s were happy to fund the other half.
An ICare tonometer measures the eye pressure in adults and children of all ages, which is a part of many patient assessments. Patients have to have eye drops to anaesthetise the eye but with the tonometer, anaesthesia is not required since the touch of the probe is so gentle, the measurement is barely noticed by the patient.
Nurse Specialist Sanchia Chiverton has said:
“We are all extremely grateful to the anonymous donor, and to the Friends of St Mary’s. This piece of equipment makes such a difference to everyone; not only does this improve the patients experience it also helps streamline and get people through the process much quicker as it can be done in seconds. Healthcare Assistants can use it to, not just Doctors or Nurses so it really is fantastic to now have a second tonometer.”
Friends of St. Mary’s Chair Mrs Lesley Myland commented:
“We were pleased to be able to match fund this piece of equipment which will be of such use to the Eye Department. This year we have awarded grants totalling £75000 to enhance the experience of patients and staff across the Island’s NHS”.
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