August 2023 - Refurbishment of Parents Rooms on Neonatal Unit

Tracy Fox, Matron Neonatal Unit applied for support to refurbish 4 parents’ rooms on
the neonatal unit, 8D. Babies admitted to the unit are often very premature, some as
early as 22 weeks gestation or are very sick term babies requiring intensive care for
surgical intervention, illness, cardiac issues, infection or trauma. The parents of
these babies obviously want to be as near their baby or babies as possible. As the
unit is a tertiary referral unit, babies are accepted for care from many parts of London
and the south east so parents are often far from home and need somewhere to stay.
Some parents also room in to care for their babies prior to discharge. The unit has
four rooms for parents to stay but 37 cots for babies and the rooms are used a huge
amount. The furniture was worn and the beds which were not comfortable were
made up with clinical bedding. Tracy applied for help with the provision of new beds,
mattresses and covers and bedding and furniture so parents could relax in more
comfortable surroundings. The committee were very happy to support this and the
work is now complete. Prof Trevor Beedham, Richard Gardner and Jean Robinson
visited the unit on 25th August 2023 and met Tracy Fox and staff. Staff are delighted
with the rooms and report that parents are very surprised by how lovely the rooms
are and are very appreciative of the non- clinical bedding and the comfortable beds.