A hospital in Truro has introduced a pilot using smart technology designed to reduce noise in hospital wards.

The Silent Hospital Pilot Project aims to transform the postnatal ward at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) by introducing software that silences patient call bells and drives audible alerts to mobile phones, carried by midwives and nursing staff.

This initiative comes with the intent of creating a calmer and quieter environment for patients, staff, and visitors.

If successful, the new technology could be extended to other wards across the hospital.

Sally Brittain, director of midwifery at RCHT, said: "We are very excited to have been selected to trial the silent nurse call bells on RCHT’s Wheal Fortune Ward.

"Our postnatal ward is always a busy place with many parents and newborn babies often unable to get much needed quality rest due to the noisy environment.

"We hope this evaluation project will demonstrate that it is possible to make our wards quieter through smart, yet fairly simple, digital solutions.

"Our midwives and maternity support workers fully embrace the new technology, recognising that it has the potential to transform their working day."

Roberta Fuller, programme director for the Women and Children’s Hospital Programme, RCHT said the project has been two years in planning, partnering with Norwegian healthcare digital solutions company, DNV Imatis, and UK engineering company, TClarke.

She said it is the first digital project to be trialled as part of the development of the new Women and Children’s Hospital Programme.

She added: "Our ambition is to explore more digital technologies for the new Women and Children’s hospital, such as equipment and patient tracking, wayfinding software and communications systems to improve the delivery of cleaning, catering and portering.

"Environmental sustainability measures such as energy monitoring and room-by-room control of heating, lighting and ventilation are also being considered to improve the patient experience in our new hospital.”

The pilot will measure the actual reduction of noise and the qualitative benefits in terms of improved well-being, faster recovery and better communication.

Cesilie Kullerud, chief marketing and communications officer at DNV Imatis, said: "Through this evaluation project, we aim to demonstrate how our solutions can effectively reduce noise levels and enhance the overall experience for both patients and staff.”