QEHB Charity supports a variety of funds throughout the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, across every ward and department; refurbishing facilities, funding vital research, and purchasing new equipment to help maintain the high standards of care delivered by staff across the hospital.

QEHB Charity has recently funded advanced new 3D planning software to the value of nearly £40,000 for the hospital’s Maxillofacial Prosthetic Department, which creates facial prosthetics and is at the forefront of reconstructive surgery services in the UK. The software will allow the team to go over and above for their patients, delivering an excellent standard of service that goes beyond what could be achieved without any charitable funding to bolster the NHS’ finite resources.

Prosthetists at QEHB use a 3D printer, also purchased thanks to charitable funding, to create precise and realistic facial prosthetics for people who have an injury or illness and need to have reconstructive surgery. Each patient will have an individual prosthetic tailor-made for them; watch our video with Stefan Edmondson, Consultant Maxillofacial Prosthetist, below to find out more about the fascinating work of the department.

The new imaging software means that the team can now use the printer to produce patient-specific templates that can be used before and during operations to help surgeons, reducing theatre time significantly. The software can also be used with a handheld scanner purchased for the department by QEHB Charity to show patients what their prosthesis will look like; before the surgery, the patient will have a quick, painless scan to bring up a computer-generated image of their face with the doctor can then manipulate to show the patient what they will look like when their prosthetic is in place. This is really helpful in enabling people to prepare for their surgery and reducing anxiety about not knowing what to expect.

Stefan explained further: “This new software will allow us to plan for surgery in even more detail, leading to better outcomes for patients, and reducing the time spent in theatre. It will help us when it comes to having pre-surgery conversations with patients and contribute to improved functionality and appearance of the prosthetics themselves – we’re really grateful to have the new software added to our repertoire, and I’d like to thank everyone whose donations have helped to make this happen.”

Mike Hammond, Chief Executive at QEHB Charity, said: “The new imaging software will enable the Maxillofacial Prosthetics Department, a team who are leaders in their field, to unlock the full potential of the 3D printer we funded with Get A-Head in 2015. I’m very pleased to be able to continue to support the stellar work of Stefan and the whole department through the provision of equipment like this.”

To support the Maxillofacial Prosthetics Department at QEHB, go to qehb.org/donate and select ‘other’ from the drop-down menu.

To find out more, watch the video here.

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