Getting Here | Contact Us | A to Z of Services                          

                                            




You are here  : Home About Us News Press Releases Press Releases 2012 Friends donate equipment worth £30,000
Friends donate equipment worth £30,000
Written by Communications Team   

The St Peter’s Hospital League of Friends has donated £30,000 to buy 30 new syringe drivers, which are small portable devices that give medication continuously to relieve pain and other symptoms in patients.

Karen Cook, Lead Nurse for Palliative Care, said: “Syringe drivers are commonly used in palliative and end-of-life care to provide medication over 24 hours when patients are weak and have difficulty swallowing. Caring for a patient at the end of their life is about keeping them symptom free and as comfortable as possible and syringe drivers can enable us to do this. The combination of drugs given to each patient is different depending on their symptoms – we can give medicines to counteract nausea and vomiting, for pain or to reduce anxiety.”

 

From left to right. Macmillan Specialist Nurses for Palliative Care Sue Dargan and Catherine Clackson, St Peter’s League of Friends Chairman Jim McCall, Lead Nurse for Palliative Care Karen Cook and Medical Devises Co-ordinator Yvonne Jones.


“We are very grateful for the Friend’s donation as it has enabled us to replace all of our old syringe drivers within a year, which will improve patient care and safety. The new machines are light, portable and lockable, which means we can discharge some patients home with a device in place.”