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New scanning equipment is helping to improve patient care on Ward 5 at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, after the hospital’s League of Friends provided more than £10,000 worth of donations to support the ward.

The Alexandra Hospital League of Friends generously purchased a top-of-the-range bladder scanner for the ward which is now being used by staff to provide safe and reliable scans to determine if a patient is able to pass urine. The scanner is a key diagnostic device which can help identify patients with acute urinary retention more quickly.

Ward 5 at the Alexandra Hospital often treats patients who are admitted to hospital with serious conditions who may be unconscious and suffering from acute urinary retention. Acute urinary retention can be a medical emergency and so early diagnosis and treatment is vital. 

Thanks to the donated bladder scanner, the Ward 5 team are able to more quickly and easily identify the need for catheterising patients to prevent this.

The Alexandra Hospital’s League of Friends have been a very active charity supporting patients and staff at the Redditch hospital since the hospital first opened nearly 40 years ago, with their donations since then totalling over £6million.

Binju Jacob, Ward Manager for Ward 5 said: “We are so grateful for this kind donation from the League of Friends. The new scanner will make a huge difference to the way we work and will significantly improve the experience we are able to provide to our patients. Thank you to the League of Friends for the support they provide.”

Chairman of the Alexandra Hospital League of Friends, Rosemary Dixon said: “We’ve been at the Alex since it opened in 1986 and have provided that extra comfort for patients or staff, together with equipment for the hospital ever since. Over the years, our donations range from microwave ovens for staff rooms to the first CT scanner in the hospital – at a cost of £600,000 – and most things in between. 

“The staff from Ward 5 made us aware of circumstances where patients admitted to the ward would benefit from a bladder scan to improve their comfort and facilitate their treatment. The staff chose the scanner and it was purchased with the approval of Technical Services.”

The Alexandra Hospital League of Friends have donated around £1million to the hospital over the last decade, with some of the charity’s most recent donations including new Falls Alarm Systems for two different wards, probes for Respiratory Medicine, a new digital access system for the hospital library, and various smaller items for wards across the hospital.