The latest donation from the Friends of Raigmore to the Inverness hospital’s trauma unit will allow staff to ‘care for their patients in a more efficient manner’.

Previously patients undergoing joint surgery would be monitored using a bladder scanner borrowed from another department, but now the trauma unit has been given its very own scanner.

Patients who have had joint surgery, particularly older patients, have a higher incidence of post-operative urinary retention than other surgery patients and the use of a bladder scanner helps staff to monitor patients’ conditions.

A senior charge nurse from the trauma unit, Kay MacGregor, commented:

“Post-operative urinary retention has been associated with an increased length of stay for patients, patient discomfort and also a risk of them developing urinary tract infections.

“In the past we would borrow a bladder scanner from another department whenever we needed to check patients, however with our focus on quality improvement and a desire to catheterise fewer patients we have found that we are now scanning more patients so when the opportunity came up for the Friends of Raigmore to purchase one for the unit we were thrilled.

“We are so grateful to the Friends for this donation. we really can’t thank them enough for thinking of us.”

Pictured: Mr Andrew Kent, consultant orthopaedic surgeon; Christina Cameron, chair of the Friends of Raigmore; and Dr Thomas Harding, specialty registrar