St George’s is one of only two Trusts in the UK to offer a nurse-led, ultrasound guided venous access service for children, an innovation that Brian Carey Paediatric Oncology Nurse Practitioner, has developed over the last three years.

Using ultrasound vein-finder technology in children has meant our nurses now have a much higher success rate in inserting needles, and has proven to be far more beneficial for both patients and their families.

Since its introduction, Brian has been invited to present at health conferences and events, in both the UK and internationally, and was also recently nominated to join the board of NIVAS, the National Infusion and Vascular Access Society. 

Next month Brian will be speaking about the team’s work at St George’s at a health conference in Florence.

Brian told us: “It’s nice to have that recognition and we’re keen to promote our service and go out and teach other Trust’s about paediatric venous access.

“At St George’s, we’ve seen patient experience improve, and in the last year, two families of our patients donated £25,000 to fund the purchase of a new ultrasound machine as they were so impressed with our work.”