Silent nurse call bells on trial in baby ward

Patient call bells have been silenced and replaced with push alerts to mobile phones on the postnatal ward

A trial in Cornwall is hoped to make a hospital ward quieter and calmer for new mothers and babies.

Patient call bells have been silenced and replaced with technology that push alerts to staff mobile phones on the postnatal ward at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro (RCHT).

The Silent Hospital Pilot Project will measure the reduction of noise and consider benefits such as improved wellbeing, faster recovery and better communication.

If the trial is successful the technology could be extended to other wards in the hospital, the health trust said.

Sally Brittain, director of midwifery at RCHT, said: “Our postnatal ward is always a busy place with many parents and newborn babies often unable to get much needed quality rest due to the noisy environment.

"The babies on the ward that have been born prematurely will also benefit greatly from the quieter and more nurturing environment to support their development."

The trust said following the trial on the Wheal Fortune ward, it may introduce other silencing digital technologies for medical equipment across the hospital.