The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn (QEHKL) Charity has donated £23,000 worth of assistive technology equipment that will help patients at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust with their stroke rehabilitation.
LiteGait is an assistive device that safely harnesses those with mobility issues allowing them to walk independently on a treadmill. It is especially successful for people with neurological or musculoskeletal conditions, such as someone who has had a stroke.
According to the hospital, the device will transform patient care and allow staff to work more efficiently with the patients in their care.
Purchased for The QEH West Raynham Stroke unit by the QEHKL Charity, the LiteGait will be available for all therapy teams across the hospital to use. Staff are busy training teams on how to safely use this exciting new equipment and promoting the benefits.
The treadmill and harness set up also includes AI technology which tracks the patients walking pattern, flagging improvements and areas requiring attention.
Specialist Physiotherapist Cilla Williams has been instrumental in securing the equipment.
She explained: “Essentially the LiteGait allows patients to weight-bear by fully supporting them in an upright position. Walking after a stroke can be challenging, it can take up to four therapists to get the patient up and moving, with staff supporting their weight to ensure they are safe.
“This equipment will mean that we can focus on facilitating the patient’s movement, rather than supporting them. It will give our therapists more capacity and time to focus on how the patient can improve their movement, enabling us to work more efficiently.”
Costing £23,000, the equipment was funded by the QEHKL Charity through several generous donations from local fundraisers.
The QEH stroke therapists, knowing the difference buying the equipment would make, took on the Yorkshire Three Peak Challenge last year to raise funds towards it.
Financial management company Allen Thomas & Co hosted its annual golf day, and one other generous donor, who was passionate about rehabilitation equipment, also donated specifically for the kit.
Pippa Street, Chief Nurse at The QEH, commented: “This equipment is exactly what our hospital charity was set up to do – invest in equipment that transforms the care we are able to offer both for our patients and our staff. Our Stroke team are a hugely passionate group who are constantly exploring new technology that can assist and support the work they do with their patients.”
A recent study revealed that stroke survivors who wore a compression suit as part of a home exercise regime had greater functional mobility compared to those who did not wear the device.
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