East Surrey Hospital, part of the Surrey & Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, has introduced the Vernacare female urinal to improve dignity, safety and comfort for immobile female patients.
The single-use VernaFem is being used on the Woodland Ward for surgical and orthopaedic and in accident and emergency, as well as other departments.
Previously, the hospital used Vernacare's single-use slipper pans, but this involved moving patients to achieve the correct position, requiring assistance from two nurses.
The VernaFem can be easily positioned to suit the patient, even when lying flat.
This is proving beneficial for trauma patients, particularly those with spinal injuries, who would otherwise need to be rolled to use a slipper pan.
"VernaFem is a brilliant design from a safety point of view", said Sandhya Blakey, manager of Woodland Ward.
"It's working really well for those recovering from hip or back surgery and for trauma patients, where it might be painful or inadvisable to move.
“As well as increasing comfort, it's also much more dignified as many patients can use the female urinal independently and then there's no risk of them getting their bottom wet by sitting on a slipper pan.
“People come in all shapes and sizes, but the VernaFem can be angled to meet their needs whatever position they are in.
“It's very popular with both patients and staff and excellent from an infection prevention perspective as the container is used once and then disposed of hygienically."
The product's curved design moulds to the female body for ease and comfort in a range of positions - from lying down to sitting.
“This means the device can be used independently and discretely by the patient, or with minimal nursing assistance.”
