Silent nurse call cutting hospital stays - trust

Ashley Tindale spent a week in Wheal Fortune ward after giving birth to her son, Soren

A trial in Cornwall which uses smart technology to make a ward quieter and calmer for new mothers and babies has reduced the length of a patient's stay by half a day, according to medics.

As part of the project, call bells have been silenced on the post-natal ward at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro for the past six months.

When a patient calls for help, an alert now goes straight through to a midwife or support worker on a device without making a loud noise.

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) said it meant new mothers were getting more rest and could be discharged from hospital earlier.

The alerts from the patient's call appear on these devices held by the staff on the ward

Ashley Tindale has given birth to four of her children at Royal Cornwall Hospital and spent seven days there after the birth of her baby boy Soren eight weeks ago.

She said the ward was "noticeably different" this time around.

"When the ladies in the bay have rung for assistance, you haven't known about it until a member staff arrived," she said.

Kath Bell, manager of the Wheal Fortune ward, said the project aimed to "differentiate the nurse call"

The trust said patients were given a device where they can select the service they need.

If they want pain relief, they can call for midwife, but if they would like refreshments, they can call for the catering team.

Roberta Fuller, programme director for the Women's and Children's Hospital at the RCHT, said the data showed the length of time new mothers spent in hospital was down by half a day since the trial began.

"It may not seem like very much, but if you convert that into cash, that is around £75,000 saved on this one ward in a year," he said.

The trust said it could introduce other silencing digital technologies across the hospital

Kath Bell, the manager of the Wheal Fortune ward at the hospital, said: "We are looking at differentiating the nurse call.

"This means the patient will be able call for what they need."

The Silent Hospital Pilot Project has been extended for another 12 months, where the technology will be developed further.

The project will also see the introduction of an interactive whiteboard where staff get reminders for tasks.

The trust said it could introduce other silencing digital technologies across the hospital following the trial on the Wheal Fortune ward.