Navy medics recognised for hi tech vital signs monitor

A Royal Navy-led team of medical experts have been recognised for helping to introduce a hi-tech life-saving device to the battlefield.

The Tempus Pro replaces seven previous pieces of equipment, providing key medical data for those treating casualties in the field - or injuries on a ship - such as blood pressure, pulse and respiratory rate.

The monitor is also able to transmit that information back to a field hospital or sickbay, so that doctors, surgeons and medical staff are fully prepared when the patient is brought in.

The monitor is sufficient small and lightweight to be carried easily by medics - and rugged enough to survive the rigours of being used by the military in all environments.

Swapping seven pieces of monitoring equipment for one device saves space, money, training and, crucially, time - and with it lives.

A 21-strong 'physiological monitoring project team', headed by Captain Danny Follington and Commander Lee Hazard, assisted by Surgeon Commander Dan Connor and Lieutenant Commanders Mark Middleton and Steve Thornhill, has been key to the introduction of the Tempus Pro into service five years ahead of schedule and, thanks to working side-by-side with the device's producers and NATO, have helped to keep the cost of the new monitor down.

As a result, the team received a Minister (Defence Procurement) Acquisition Award.

Nearly 1,350 Tempus Pro monitors are being bought for the UK Armed Forces, sustaining 60 jobs at Basingstoke-based Remote Diagnostic Technologies.