Gaming unit arrives on Critical Care thanks to your donations
Patients on Critical Care at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham will now be able to play PlayStation games whilst on the ward thanks to a new gaming unit which has been purchased by University Hospitals Birmingham Charity.
The GameStation Move is an all-in-one unit complete with a PlayStation 4, monitor, lights and sound that allows staff on the ward to move the unit to where it is needed quickly and easily, whilst meeting the really important infection control and safety criteria.
Linda Williams is a Senior Sister on Ward Critical Care C and has been instrumental in bringing the GameStation to the ward. She said: “Many of our patients who are on bed rest will be with us for many weeks. During this time they are awake and alert, but cannot leave their beds. This is difficult, especially for our younger patients.
“The idea to bring the gaming unit to the ward was inspired by one young patient who was recently treated on the unit. He was a keen gamer and was unable to enjoy his hobby whilst on the unit, as the Wi-Fi wasn’t fast enough for him to use the games on his laptop.
“He spent many weeks on the ward, often away from his family, and he found it really tough. I got in touch with UHB Charity to see what we could do, and that’s when we decided to fund a GameStation Move.”
The unit is now in place on the ward, and will be available for patients of all ages to use. Charge Nurse James Smith said: “Gaming offers a brilliant form of escapism for our patients. It enables them to have time away from the critical care environment and to be absorbed by their game.
“Gaming is so important to so many of our young, and not so young, patients and we’re delighted that we can now offer them the chance to game from their beds.”
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, visiting has been stopped for the majority of patients, meaning that the gaming unit will be even more valuable than in ordinary times. Linda said: “The unit will really help our patients who are isolated from their families. At this time it is really difficult for our patients, so anything that we can do to support them will make a huge difference.
“Thank you to everyone who has donated to University Hospitals Birmingham Charity, your generosity has made this possible and will improve the hospital experience for so many patients in the future.”
