ASTHMA INNOVATION RESEARCH

COVID-19 UPDATE

The Walkie-Talkie Project

The Coronavirus Pandemic has seen the NHS face innumerable challenges, with staffing levels and resources stretched more than ever. There has been a wealth of donations from the charitable sector to the NHS to help support our frontline services. As a charity we are aiming to make the task of our NHS staff easier. We carried out a successful crowdfunder enabling us to supply over 75 hospitals, from the Shetlands to central London, with walkie talkies. 

It may not sound much but these simple radios can make a massive difference.  When one is wearing PPE and working inside a COVID unit, it can be difficult to communicate with the rest of the healthcare team on the outside. The normal means of communications, telephones and bleeps etc, are left outside or tucked underneath the PPE and cannot be accessed. Moreover, to limit the spread of the virus within hospitals, staff must remove the PPE when moving from one clinical area to another, which makes communication between these areas difficult and time-consuming. 

These simple devices are proving invaluable in enabling healthcare staff in PPE to quickly access equipment or pass messages onto their colleagues. Their use is now being seen in Intensive Care Units, operating theatres, A&E departments and on medical wards. To find out more about what we have been up to, please read on OVER AND OUT.