A “sustainable, cost-effective and fun” respiratory innovation that helps people during physiotherapy that was invented by health service nurses is now available through the NHS Supply Chain.
The device – known as HydroBubble – was created by Yasmin Hussaini, Jane White and Naomi Parsons, part of the cystic fibrosis team across South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.
The innovation
It is a reusable bubble-blowing machine that has been designed to be child-friendly and entertaining for children during chest physiotherapy.
The device is for people who have a build-up of phlegm in their lungs and cannot clear it. It works by keeping the airways open through the use of vibrations in the lung to help loosen and move the secretions so a cough can clear it – in turn reducing the risk of infection.
The traditional method of Bubble PEP physiotherapy is considered to be costly and wasteful, with the equipment being hard to store and dispose of.
The biggest benefits of the HydroBubble solution are characterised as:
- Reusable and sustainable
- Cost-effective
- User-friendly
- Easy to clean and maintain
Following its initial launch in April 2024 across Coventry and Warwickshire, the innovation received positive feedback.
Reaction
NHS Supply Chain’s chief executive director, Michelle Johnson, said: “Clinicians at NHS Supply Chain are passionate about driving forward innovative technology and delivering improvements to patients’ lives. HydroBubble is a fun and innovative medical device which supports children to self-manage an aspect of care that is vital in helping them maintain healthy lungs.
“Community children's nurses have led the way in working with industry specialists to develop a device that meets the needs of children and families. What an excellent example of health professionals working in collaboration with children and their families alongside healthcare product experts.”
Yasmin Hussaini said: “The traditional Bubble PEP device consists of a bottle and tubing. It is complex to clean and challenging for our younger patients to use without the aid of an adult. It also creates a huge amount of plastic waste on our wards, as the device needs to be changed weekly.”
To learn more about the latest news in NHS procurement, watch National Health Executive’s exclusive online conference on demand, where we were joined by experts from NHS Supply Chain, NHS Shared Business Services, the Ministry of Defence, and various NHS trusts around the country.
Image credit: iStock
