Colin Dobbyne, director of OR1, describes OR Networks’ recent installation of a sophisticated new video communication and patient entertainment system in the intensive care unit at London’s St Mary’s Hospital, explaining how the “world first” equipment was designed and manufactured to meet the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust’s specific requirements.
The specialist healthcare communications design consultancy also worked with clean air engineers, Howorth Air Technology, to provide a “package” of integrated equipment for a major theatre refurbishment at the hospital, whose past alumni include runner of the first sub-four-minute-mile, Sir Roger Bannister – later to become a distinguished neurologist.
Walking into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at St Mary’s, Paddington, is a humbling experience. Only the most vulnerable patients find themselves on an ICU. Critically ill, or in an unstable condition, these patients need uninterrupted medical support to keep their bodies functioning, and are entirely reliant on specialised monitoring equipment, a high degree of medical expertise, and constant access to highly trained nurses. The “whiteness” of the ward is almost blinding – with patients so highly susceptible to infection, the unit features enhanced infection prevention and control, so the antimicrobial surfaces, non-touch taps, isolated side rooms, and automated entry system, are essential. The design and equipment is so high-tech that the ICU looks like something from the future, all running smoothly, quietly, and hyper-efficiently. This £8 million stateof- the-art ward really is a masterpiece of modern medicine and design.
A world first
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