New ICU ward launched at Glenwood hospital
The previous ward had a capacity of just five patients, making the new ward a great improvement.
GLENWOOD’s Life Entabeni Hospital recently opened their new Intensive Care Unit (ICU) offering 24-hour care for up to 22 patients.
The previous ward had a capacity of just five patients, making the new ward a great improvement.
“There was such a shortage of ICU beds previously. Now, that burden has been taken away, and we have more room to accommodate critical patients. This is the biggest intensive care unit this hospital has ever had. By the third day, after the unit opened, we were operating at full capacity and things have been running smoothly,” said unit manager Vanessa Greyling.
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Marketing and communications coordinator for Life Entabeni Hospital, Lara Richards, added that ICU differs from high care in the level of care offered.
“Higher acuity patients are treated in ICU where ventilated patients receive one-on-one care while less sick patients would have one nurse for two patients. In a high-care set-up, there would be lower acuity patients with one nurse treating two or three patients while a general ward would see nurses rotate between patients.”
The ICU is designed in a horseshoe shape with two duty stations where nurses can observe the ward.
“We have windows around the entire unit. Each bed has its own set of windows. Studies have shown that natural light lifts the mood of patients and helps them to get better quicker,” said Richards.
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The unit was dedicated to the late Dr Stephen Blakemore, an anaesthetist who was instrumental in the ICU design.
“He worked at Life Entabeni for many years. Dr Blakemore ventilated the first Covid-19 patient here. He spent a lot of time going over the layout and design of the ICU,” said Richards.
A plaque outside the ICU commemorates Blakemore.
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