No More Hit or Miss for Helena’s Vein Finding Team - Thanks to the Friends

Picture:Helena Baker demonstrates the vein-finder, costing £3,810, on an arm of Friends volunteer Lyn Govett.

An item of equipment that quite literally sheds light on those often elusive veins has been bought by the Friends for the Community Learning Disability Team. Called the Accuvein AV400 vein mapper, the small and portable equipment finds veins without undue hassle and trauma to the patient, by just holding the equipment some seven inches above the skin. Community Learning Disability Nurse, Helena Baker, explained that this was especially important when finding it hard to assess healthcare through fear and anxiety, or sensory overload. “We support a large number of patients with autism who can find medical facilities incredible stressful, “Due to communication difficulties, this can make it extremely difficult to ascertain the cause of any illness through blood tests. ……..getting blood on the first attempt is crucial, particularly with patients who have difficult vein access.” It is used several times a month, with further use coming when colleagues undergo training. “We take it into patients’ homes and care homes—dealing with people who cannot get into the hospital’s pathology lab,” added Helena. “It is brilliant, and we guard it with our lives. We are very grateful to the Friends.”