Posted on 20th Jan
Patients and staff at Newark Hospital are benefiting from the purchase of innovative new equipment thanks to generous donations from the Magnus Foundation.
The foundation donated £44,301 to Sherwood Forest Hospitals Charity over two years, which was used to buy two waste management systems for the operating theatres at Newark Hospital.
The Neptune Rover 3 waste management system collects, transports, and disposes of surgical waste fluid, and will bring benefits to both patients and staff.
An average of 19 minutes per procedure will be saved thanks to the new equipment, with the faster operating times leading to a better patient experience. The time saved will enable more operations to be performed in the department, which is good news for those patients on the waiting list for surgery at the hospital.
The introduction of the equipment improves safety to staff by reducing their exposure to potentially infectious liquids and limiting the risk of manual handling injuries. It will also be safer for patients as it means that staff can monitor their fluid levels more effectively during a procedure.
The purchase of the equipment will also have a significant impact on the environment, reducing clinical waste by 13kg per case and saving 1,444kg of CO2 per year — the equivalent of driving more than 6,000 miles — as well as eliminating the need for single-use plastics. This complements the sustainable aims of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which manages Newark, King’s Mill and Mansfield Community hospitals.
Amy Sprigg, department sister at Newark theatres, said: “Thank you to the Magnus Foundation for this fantastic donation, which has allowed us to purchase the Neptune 3 Rover waste management system.
“It has made a huge difference to the theatre team and to patients by reducing the workload the team need to be involved in. This means they can focus on the patient and other aspects of their role in more detail.
“The Neptune has also reduced our clinical waste which will have great benefits on the environment, and we have also seen a financial benefit for the department since we began using it.”
The Magnus Foundation is a charity that was established in the reign of Henry VIII. It exists to provide benefits for St Mary Magdalene Parish Church, pupils attending the Magnus C of E Academy, and Newark Hospital. The charity makes annual donations to the Newark Hospital Charitable fund, and this donation is a combination of funds from 2022 and 2023.
Andrew Fearn, chair of the board of trustees at The Magnus Foundation, said: “For many years the Foundation has been able to support Newark Hospital, and it is particularly satisfying to see our contributions put to such good use. The new equipment was described to me as a ‘game changer’, and trustees of the charity are absolutely delighted to see this very real benefit for people in the area.”
A previous donation from the charity enabled the hospital to purchase three Reminiscence Interactive Therapy Activities (RITA) devices, which help to reduce social isolation and improve wellbeing by enabling patients to take part in interactive activities on their own or with nurses, therapists, or carers.
The Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust oversees the Newark Hospital Charitable fund and uses its funds to invest in innovative new equipment, development projects and other initiatives to offer the best possible patient care and medical treatment.
To find out more about the charity and make a donation via the Get Involved page on the trust’s website, go to www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/get-involved/our-charity-sherwood-forest-hospitals
