Stamford Hospital has bought a virtual reality headset to help patients during surgery

Hospital patients will be able to dive into virtual reality during surgery thanks to people’s donations to charity.

The North West Anglia Hospitals’ Charity provided Stamford Hospital with money to buy a Meta Quest 3 VR Headset, allowing patients to explore virtual reality during their surgery.

The team at Greenwood Ward day surgery unit requested funds from the charity for the headset, hoping to help patients feel less stressed.

It was thanks to public donations that the charity, whose patron is Craig Revel Horwood, was able to provide the funds to the team.

Jo Baron, Greenwood Ward manager, said: “We realise that some patients do feel stress and anxiety at the prospect of coming into hospital for a surgical procedure – despite the best efforts of our staff to help put them at ease.

“We are very grateful to the Hospitals’ Charity for purchasing the VR goggles, which we know will make a big difference to surgery patients.”

Charity project manager Philip Fearn said: “We are delighted to be able to assist Greenwood Ward with their request to help enhance the experience for patients and staff in our hospitals.

“I would like to extend my thanks to every single person that makes a donation or raises funds for the North West Anglia Hospitals’ Charity in helping to fund items of all sizes and values.”

By Max Carson