Hereford County Hospital doctors trial new sleep pods for power naps
Thursday 23 January 2020
Doctors at Hereford County Hospital are being
encouraged to take short power naps following the installation of sleep pods,
as part of the national Fight Fatigue campaign.
Wye Valley NHS Trust has pledged their support
to the campaign and installed the sleep pods as part of a three-month trial for
doctors to take essential power naps as well as providing rooms to sleep in if
needed before they drive home, with plans to expand this to all of their shift
workers.
The national Fight Fatigue campaign was
launched in 2018 as a joint initiative of the Association of Anaesthetists, the
Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine.
Syed Husain, junior doctor at Wye Valley NHS
Trust, said: “It's great to see Wye Valley NHS Trust take the Fight Fatigue
campaign seriously. The sleep pod trial is a step in the right
direction to provide doctors with improved rest facilities and I look
forward to seeing the longer-term plans going forward."
Syed Husain, junior doctor at Wye Valley NHS Trust trying out the sleep pod at Hereford County Hospital.
Sue Smith, director of human resources at Wye Valley
NHS Trust, said: “We welcome the installation of the new sleep pods, which have
been funded by the NHS and form part of our staff wellbeing plans to improve
working conditions and rest areas for doctors and all of our shift
workers.
“We’re encouraging staff to fight fatigue by taking
breaks, staying hydrated, eating well, getting extra sleep before a night shift
and taking a power nap during their break when working a night shift to improve
alertness.”
Association of Anaesthetists president and consultant anaesthetist at
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Dr Kathleen Ferguson, added: “I’m delighted that Wye
Valley NHS Trust is officially supporting our Fight Fatigue campaign and we
look forward to working with the Trust to help raise awareness of the issues
related to fatigue. We want to change attitudes across the NHS to ensure
everyone understands the risks of fatigue and how to mitigate against
them. We hope that by taking responsibility collectively for making
changes to working practice