Blackpool Victoria Hospital charity funds £12,000 cycling equipment for critically ill patients

The charity funded a £12,181 MOTOmed Letto 2, an over-bed upper and lower limb-assisted cycling device, designed to enable early mobilisation of patients who are recovering from critical illness.

Nicky Williams, critical care physiotherapy practitioner and rehab lead, said the equipment would help to mitigate the problems that patients may have in their recovery after they return home.

She said: “We know that critically ill patients can have lots of problems with loss of muscle mass, becoming extremely weak. If we can improve people’s muscle strength, we can improve their function, which means we have better outcomes when they’re leaving critical care."

The device helps patients move their arms and legs passively while they are sedated in ITU, as well as actively while they are awake.

Blue Skies said current research has identified that early rehabilitation is key to improving physical function and reducing the impact of long-term issues.

Kila Redfearn, head of fundraising at Blue Skies, said she was thrilled to see that the device in place, supporting patients' recoveries.

She said: "We’re incredibly proud to have funded the MOTOmed. It’s a fantastic piece of kit and is going to be so beneficial for many people. We’d like to thank our local community, without your generous donations we wouldn’t be able to fund things like this. Your support doesn’t go unnoticed."