Funding

The Baby Beat Appeal's objective is to raise £100,000 each year to fund equipment and projects that are not covered by the Sharoe Green Maternity Unit's capital budget. We try to fund state of the art developments and technology that are innovative and needed by the clinical staff on the Maternity Unit. Fortunately, we haven't had to fund new replacements for our enhancements as they tend to become part of the mainstream and are taken up by the Trust. This philosophy has enabled the Sharoe Green Maternity Unit to keep at the forefront of new medical developments and practices.

Initially the Baby Beat Appeal was set up to provide innovative foetal monitoring equipment, which wasn't commonplace in units of this size. However, the scope of this has now been broadened and we have provided funding to facilitate research, training, IT development and bereavement counselling. The IT project matured into a Maternity Unit Monitoring System (MUMS) and this project, like many others was taken up for further development by the Trust.

On behalf of those babies 'as yet unborn', we are eternally grateful to all our past supporters and those who pledge to help us in the future.

Below is a list of equipment and projects that have been funded by The Appeal since 1987, starting with the most recent.

2009 to 2010 - the following was purchased for the Delivery Suite

1 MP30 Monitor

This monitor allows the clinicians to measure the heart rate, non-invasive and invasive blood pressure, breathing, pulse and temperature in the mother at time of delivery.

2 FM30 Foetal Monitors

This piece of equipment allows the mother to be mobile during labour whilst recording information. Transducers attach to the mother's stomach and enables the monitoring of the baby via ultrasound, indicating the baby’s movements, heart rate and also contractions.

2 Sonic Aid Monitors

This is a small battery operated machine, which allows midwives to listen to the foetal heart. The advantage is that this machine can be carried in the pocket and taken out to access patients in the community. In the past, some of our patients on the edge of society weren’t keen to come into hospital and it has been a way of taking ante-natal care to them in the community thus giving those patients the confidence to bring them into the hospital for scans and further investigations.

4 Sonic Aid Monitor Stands

A docking station for a sonic aid monitor allowing the monitor to be manoeuvred between patients easily.

8 Duo Monitor Packages

All mothers have blood pressure and pulse taken on entering the delivery suite as normal criteria. This duo monitor allows the clinicians to monitor blood pressure and also pulse rate.

2006 to 2009 - was spent on the following:

4 Sonicaid Monitor

A Sonicaid is a hand-held Doppler. This is a small, battery-operated machine, which allows midwives to listen to the foetal heart. The advantage is that his machine can be carried in the pocket and taken out to assess patients in the community. In the past, some of our patients on the edge of society aren’t keen to come into hospital and it has been a way of taking ante-natal care to them in the community and then giving them the confidence to bring them in for scans and further investigations.

2 Non Episiotomy Birthing Teaching Aids

This is the sort of equipment used in teaching both junior doctors and midwives for the examination of women and also suturing of tears and episiotomies. This means that they can become adept in the procedure, long before they need to undertake it on real patients.

1 Prompt Birthing Simulator

This is a precision designed teaching aid. It is a fully animated baby doll with an anatomically correct pelvis. It allows both midwives and junior doctors to practice different types of complicated deliveries. It enables the clinicians to practice different types of pressure or traction to deliver a baby whilst being demonstrated via a computer. This enables doctors/midwives to develop their technique with a degree of traction used, measured safely by the attached computer, once again, long before they require to perform this with the patient.

2 Ventouse Machines

This is a device that allows us to deliver babies safely. Previously all babies needing assistance in delivery were delivered using forceps, which could be traumatic to both the Mother and the baby. A Ventouse is where a plastic cup is applied to the baby’s head and with the mother’s pushing, aids delivery of the baby. There is evidence that this produces significantly less trauma for the mother and her baby.

3 Datascopes (2 for Ward M1, 1 for Ante Natal Clinic)

Ensures correct maternal observations of blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation to be taken more regularly for women with problems during pregnancy and labour and allows staff to concentrate on the mother personally. These observations will have a "knock on" effect on the baby's condition in labour. This new technology does what several pieces of equipment did in the past.

2005 - £33,000 was spent on the following:

8 Infusion Pumps (Delivery Suite)

Intravenous pumps used during labour to deliver and record precisely the fluids and drugs intake. They are important for women who need high dependence intensive care. The pumps do what several pieces of equipment did in the past and give a reading/record at regular intervals.

Bladder Scanner (Ward M1)

Some mothers develop bladder problems following delivery and before they are discharged, which causes distress. The scanner is a new piece of equipment which assesses potential problems and is used to great effect on the district.

Oximeter (Delivery Suite)

Non invasive way of measuring a baby's oxygen level immediately. It is particularly helpful, for example, if a child is thought to be having breath holding attacks on the ward or cyanotic episodes during feeding. It gives an immediate assessment and helps to decide whether the baby truly needs to be transferred to special care or can remain with the mother.