Vital new equipment installed at East Surrey Hospital

New equipment that automatically measures patients’ vital signs has been introduced at East Surrey Hospital.
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Experts say that he new ‘Vitals’ system will help doctors and nurses to spot problems more quickly and begin treatment faster.

Around 1.5 million vital signs measurements are taken every year at East Surrey Hospital and other services run by Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.

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The measurements, which include blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rate, are an important part of keeping patients safe and were previously either written down or uploaded individually to the trust’s electronic systems.

New 'vitals' equipment at East Surrey HospitalNew 'vitals' equipment at East Surrey Hospital
New 'vitals' equipment at East Surrey Hospital

The new Vitals system takes many of the necessary measurements automatically before immediately uploading them to the patient’s electronic record, alongside any other data and information added by the clinician.

The new machines provide immediate summaries which will help staff to identify conditions such as sepsis or acute kidney injury quicker.

Trust chief nurse Jane Dickson said: “It will make a big difference for our patients as well as our nurses and doctors.

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“Previously significant time was spent taking readings, verifying the data and uploading it. This means much of that time can now be spent on acting on what the readings tell us patients need.”

The trust has invested in over 170 new machines that are now being used across its inpatient wards and linked directly to its electronic patient record, enabling other clinical experts to review the data more easily.

Trust chief executive Michael Wilson said: “We want to be the safest hospital in the country, and investing in better technology can help us achieve that. “This is an important step in making sure we are at the forefront of patient safety and digital advances in healthcare.”

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust runs East Surrey Hospital in Redhill and provides a range of services at hospitals in Crawley, Horsham, Caterham and at The Earlswood Centre and Oxted Health Centre. It has a growing catchment population of 535,000 residents in east Surrey and northeast West Sussex and is the designated hospital for Gatwick Airport and the local M25 and M23 motorway network.