“A new £1 million robot that will change the face of surgical procedures has arrived at the Royal Berkshire Hospital", announced my local newspaper, the Reading Evening Post!
The report continues, “The futuristic machine, named the ‘da Vinci’, arrived in 5 boxes, each weighing as much as half a ton. It will be used for urology, gynaecology and ear, nose and throat surgery before being rolled out elsewhere.
“Using the robot will allow surgeons to perform operations that can create a smaller incision as well as offering a more precise tool for complicated operations. A less invasive procedure means a shorter stay in hospital and quicker recovery.
“The da Vinci Surgical System is a robot with four arms. Three of them hold objects that act as tools, such as a scalpel or scissors and other operating instruments, and the fourth arm is for a camera with two lenses that gives the surgeon full stereoscopic vision from the console.
“The surgeon is seated at a set of controls and looks through two eye holes at a 3D image of the procedure, while manoeuvring the arms with two foot pedals and two hand controllers.
“Announcing the investment of the robot, that has cost the Trust just over £1 million, Colin Maclean, chairman of the Trust, told the governors’ meeting ‘We are investing and have invested in robot technology. This is part of the future that will allow surgeons to go in through smaller holes, cause less damage and allow the patient to leave hospital quicker. It has cost us an awful lot of money and although we started to look into this technology for the urology department, it will be used for other services as well.’
“Hospital staff are already being trained to use the robot and the first procedure is expected to take place at the beginning of November.”
“Peter Ryan, manager of the Reading & District Hospitals Charity, said, ‘At present this exciting equipment is being leased by the trust but we would welcome donations from the public, companies and other organisations in the area to help us buy the robot so as many people as possible can benefit from it in the future.’
“If anyone would like to help, they should send their donations, with a request that the money be used for robotic surgical equipment, to-
Reading & District Hospitals Charity,
The Appeal Office,
Royal Berkshire hospital,
Reading
RG1 5AN
“Cheques should be made payable to the Reading and District Hospitals Charity.”
Source: Reading Evening Post 03/10/08
Showing posts with label Royal Berkshire Hospital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Royal Berkshire Hospital. Show all posts
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Saturday, 20 September 2008
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Last Saturday, as a member of the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, I was invited to a Membership Open Day tour of three areas of work at the Royal Berkshire Hospital - Renal, Cardiology and Therapies - with a light lunch to follow. These Membership Open Days highlight the Trust's strategy, which is -
"Exceeding our customer and patient's service requirements
Providing more services, in more places, closer to home, for more people
Investing in success so that our services will be in the top 10% nationally
Bringing together key providers to form a viable modern healthcare system
Making sure that people know what we do and why we are the best."
The Trust is based on several Hospital sites -
The Royal Berkshire
Prince Charles Eye Unit - Windsor
Renal Unit - Windsor
West Berkshire Community Hospital
plus community based services e.g., maternity, respiratory, children's services.
The membership catchment area includes Reading and Wokingham, West Berkshire and District, Southern Oxfordshire and East Berkshire and District. Membership input is sought and valued because it helps with -
Market research -
- members have some experience of the organisation
- good geographical coverage to test more local issues
- to reduce risk in decision making
and in generating local interest in local ownership and the role of Governors.
So we began our tour in the renal unit, where it was explained that there are two forms of dialysis to treat kidney failure - Peritoneal Dialysis and Haemodialysis. Peritoneal Dialysis differs from Haemodialysis in the instead of the blood being purified OUTSIDE the body with an artificial kidney, the blood is purified INSIDE the body using the PERITONEUM (the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity) as a natural filter. The abdomen is filled with dialysis fluid via a catheter. The fluid then removes toxins and water from the blood through the peritoneum. The 'dirty' fluid is then drained out and replaced with new, clean fluid for further dialysis. With the equipment we were shown, this dialysis can be caried out at home by the patient. Then we were taken to the bedside of a patient who was undergoing haemodialysis and could see for ourselves how his (toxic) blood was being extarcated and replaced with new, clean blood. This form of dialysis requires regular visits to hospital, when it takes 5 hours to complete the dialysis.
We could see that the patient was happy, although he said that 5 hours was sometimes tedious.
In the cardiology unit another patient acted as 'guinea pig' so that we could be shown how the medical staff can monitor the different sections of the heart, so that abnormalities could be detected and treated. We were also shown the procedure for diagnosing disease by ultra sound, and then we saw an angiogram on screen and how angioplasty (to treat furred arteries) is carried out. One member asked, 'Does it hurt?' and those of us who had had angioplasty were able to assure him that it doesn't!
Lstly, we were shown the kitchen in the therapies unit, which we found to be very interesting indeed. Here there were all kinds of ingenious devices to ensure safety in the kitchen for patients newly-discharged from hospital, some of them with disabilities. For the visually impaired, there is a simple gadget to slip on the lip of your beaker that rings a bell when the water you are pouring into it reaches the right height. I was amazed at the progress that had been made in this section since the days when I was being discharged with my leg in plaster, etc. For instance, in order to be able to cary things when I was using my zimmer frame, I used to hang a net over the front of the zimmer frame. Now they offer patients a specially-designed plastic bowl that fits neatly on the front of the zimmer frame. This is much more accident proof! There were oddly shaped knives for patients who can't grip and use a normal knife and non-slip mats to prevent dishes sliding around on the table. I could go on about this therapeutic kitchen for ages! Then we went into the 'gym' and a member of staff used the 'treadmill' - or should I say 'walking machine' - to show on the screen how the different speeds affect the heart and indicate the degree of abnormality and the treatment required. We were assured that they wouldn't put a 90-year old on this machine!
As one member said to me over lunch, 'The more I learn about the hospital, the more i want to learn'. there is a Theatres seminar on Tuesday 23rd September, a Cancer services departmental tour on Wednesday, ist October and the Annual general Mebers' meeting on Thursday 27th November at Madejski Stadium. The Trust is keen to recruit more members and governors.
"Exceeding our customer and patient's service requirements
Providing more services, in more places, closer to home, for more people
Investing in success so that our services will be in the top 10% nationally
Bringing together key providers to form a viable modern healthcare system
Making sure that people know what we do and why we are the best."
The Trust is based on several Hospital sites -
The Royal Berkshire
Prince Charles Eye Unit - Windsor
Renal Unit - Windsor
West Berkshire Community Hospital
plus community based services e.g., maternity, respiratory, children's services.
The membership catchment area includes Reading and Wokingham, West Berkshire and District, Southern Oxfordshire and East Berkshire and District. Membership input is sought and valued because it helps with -
Market research -
- members have some experience of the organisation
- good geographical coverage to test more local issues
- to reduce risk in decision making
and in generating local interest in local ownership and the role of Governors.
So we began our tour in the renal unit, where it was explained that there are two forms of dialysis to treat kidney failure - Peritoneal Dialysis and Haemodialysis. Peritoneal Dialysis differs from Haemodialysis in the instead of the blood being purified OUTSIDE the body with an artificial kidney, the blood is purified INSIDE the body using the PERITONEUM (the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity) as a natural filter. The abdomen is filled with dialysis fluid via a catheter. The fluid then removes toxins and water from the blood through the peritoneum. The 'dirty' fluid is then drained out and replaced with new, clean fluid for further dialysis. With the equipment we were shown, this dialysis can be caried out at home by the patient. Then we were taken to the bedside of a patient who was undergoing haemodialysis and could see for ourselves how his (toxic) blood was being extarcated and replaced with new, clean blood. This form of dialysis requires regular visits to hospital, when it takes 5 hours to complete the dialysis.
We could see that the patient was happy, although he said that 5 hours was sometimes tedious.
In the cardiology unit another patient acted as 'guinea pig' so that we could be shown how the medical staff can monitor the different sections of the heart, so that abnormalities could be detected and treated. We were also shown the procedure for diagnosing disease by ultra sound, and then we saw an angiogram on screen and how angioplasty (to treat furred arteries) is carried out. One member asked, 'Does it hurt?' and those of us who had had angioplasty were able to assure him that it doesn't!
Lstly, we were shown the kitchen in the therapies unit, which we found to be very interesting indeed. Here there were all kinds of ingenious devices to ensure safety in the kitchen for patients newly-discharged from hospital, some of them with disabilities. For the visually impaired, there is a simple gadget to slip on the lip of your beaker that rings a bell when the water you are pouring into it reaches the right height. I was amazed at the progress that had been made in this section since the days when I was being discharged with my leg in plaster, etc. For instance, in order to be able to cary things when I was using my zimmer frame, I used to hang a net over the front of the zimmer frame. Now they offer patients a specially-designed plastic bowl that fits neatly on the front of the zimmer frame. This is much more accident proof! There were oddly shaped knives for patients who can't grip and use a normal knife and non-slip mats to prevent dishes sliding around on the table. I could go on about this therapeutic kitchen for ages! Then we went into the 'gym' and a member of staff used the 'treadmill' - or should I say 'walking machine' - to show on the screen how the different speeds affect the heart and indicate the degree of abnormality and the treatment required. We were assured that they wouldn't put a 90-year old on this machine!
As one member said to me over lunch, 'The more I learn about the hospital, the more i want to learn'. there is a Theatres seminar on Tuesday 23rd September, a Cancer services departmental tour on Wednesday, ist October and the Annual general Mebers' meeting on Thursday 27th November at Madejski Stadium. The Trust is keen to recruit more members and governors.
Friday, 5 October 2007
Cellulitis Research
Yesterday I was called to the Royal Berkshire Hospital to be interviewed and to give my consent to my taking part in "randomised controlled trials to investigate whether prophylactic antibiotics can prevent further episodes of cellulitis of the leg".
The research is being organised through the UK Dermatology Clinical Trials Network (http://www.ukdctn.org), a group of skin doctors and nurses who have agreed to work together in order to research important questions of relevance to both doctors and patients. None of the doctors or nurses helping with this study will receive any payment other than for administrative costs. The information collected will be analysed by researchers employed at the University of Nottingham. The work is being funded by two different charities; Action Medical Research (http://www.action.org.uk) and The BUPA Foundation (http://www.bupafoundation.com), with additional support from the UK Dermatological Clinicaal Trials Network.
The purpose of the research is to find out whether taking a low dose of penicillin every day for six or twelve months helps to prevent further episodes of cellulitis of the leg in patients who have previously suffered from this. Half the participants in each trial will be given tablets containing a low dose of penicillin and the other half will be given 'dummy' tablets containing no active ingredients (a 'placebo'). At the end of the study period the number of repeat episodes of cellulitis in each group of patients will be compared and it will then be possible to find out whether the penicillin helped to prevent further episodes.
I have been placed in the trial group that will take the tablets for twelve months and, like all the other participants, I will not know whether I am taking penicillin or the 'placebo', nor will the research doctor. This is so that no-one involved in the trial can influence the results. All information collected during the research will be kept confidential and stored in a locked room.
When I was interviewed by the dermatologist yesterday, I was amazed at the thoroughness of the details needed from my medical history - I expected that! - but also about anything that had affected my legs during the past week and my quality of life in general. There were pages and pages of questions! Indeed, I don't think I've ever answered so many questions in one go in my life, but it will all be worth it if the recurrence of episodes of cellulitis can be prevented - not just for me but for many other patients in the years to come.
The research is being organised through the UK Dermatology Clinical Trials Network (http://www.ukdctn.org), a group of skin doctors and nurses who have agreed to work together in order to research important questions of relevance to both doctors and patients. None of the doctors or nurses helping with this study will receive any payment other than for administrative costs. The information collected will be analysed by researchers employed at the University of Nottingham. The work is being funded by two different charities; Action Medical Research (http://www.action.org.uk) and The BUPA Foundation (http://www.bupafoundation.com), with additional support from the UK Dermatological Clinicaal Trials Network.
The purpose of the research is to find out whether taking a low dose of penicillin every day for six or twelve months helps to prevent further episodes of cellulitis of the leg in patients who have previously suffered from this. Half the participants in each trial will be given tablets containing a low dose of penicillin and the other half will be given 'dummy' tablets containing no active ingredients (a 'placebo'). At the end of the study period the number of repeat episodes of cellulitis in each group of patients will be compared and it will then be possible to find out whether the penicillin helped to prevent further episodes.
I have been placed in the trial group that will take the tablets for twelve months and, like all the other participants, I will not know whether I am taking penicillin or the 'placebo', nor will the research doctor. This is so that no-one involved in the trial can influence the results. All information collected during the research will be kept confidential and stored in a locked room.
When I was interviewed by the dermatologist yesterday, I was amazed at the thoroughness of the details needed from my medical history - I expected that! - but also about anything that had affected my legs during the past week and my quality of life in general. There were pages and pages of questions! Indeed, I don't think I've ever answered so many questions in one go in my life, but it will all be worth it if the recurrence of episodes of cellulitis can be prevented - not just for me but for many other patients in the years to come.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
+-+Olive+(4).jpg)