New Special Care Baby Unit at Queen's Hospital Burton means parents can now stay overnight with their baby
A state-of-the-art Special Care Baby Unit is now open at Queen's Hospital Burton, supporting families to access enhanced neonatal care for premature babies or babies who require care immediately after birth.
The unit has undergone a major transformation, with an investment of more than £2.5 million to create new and improved facilities including overnight provision for families to stay with their baby, supporting family integrated care and empowering parents to be more involved in their newborns care while they are on the unit.
The old neonatal unit at Queen's Hospital Burton had no provision for families to stay overnight so beds have been added to some of the cot spaces, in addition to reclining chairs. This is in response to feedback from the community, supporting families to stay together during that difficult time.
Other improvements include more modern equipment, such as better monitoring resources, and a much lighter space with skylights to create a calmer, more comforting space to allow families to feel more at home while using the unit.
Another benefit for families is that neonatal transitional care has been introduced at Queen's Hospital Burton, providing a dedicated care space for babies who require frequent observations, or antibiotics after birth, but do not need to be admitted to neonatal care.
Previously, these babies would have been cared for away from parents when receiving this essential treatment, but transitional care, which is located in between maternity and the Special Care Baby Unit, means families can remain with their baby while they receive this additional support.
Ben and Samantha Crockett were one of the first families to use the new Special Care Baby Unit, when they were transferred from the previous unit with their daughter Florence, who was born at 33 weeks gestation, weighing four pounds and three ounces.
Ben said: "The care we have received has been wonderful and we have seen firsthand how much of a difference the improvements to the unit have made. Sammy was able to stay over with Florence one night and, speaking to other mums, they all were so pleased with the unit and the changes that meant they could stay at their baby's side."
Samantha added: "The unit is modern, fresh and much lighter, which is really important for your mental health because some days you are inside all day. The change is definitely worthwhile and will help families get the care they need in a new and comfortable unit."
The open plan design of the unit and centralised view will allow for better visibility of all babies on the unit for colleagues, and more privacy for families in the early days of their baby's life.
Garry Marsh, Executive Chief Nurse at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) is pleased to see this latest development, which is one of many improvements being made across our hospitals to improve the quality of care provided to our youngest patients.
He said: "We are constantly exploring ways to make care safer across our maternity and neonatal services, and to improve and enhance the experience that we provide to families. The new Special Care Baby Unit offers transitional care, better monitoring equipment and has been specially built in response to feedback from families who have used the services before, to bring a modern, state-of-the-art facility to Queen's Hospital Burton."
Lynn Slade, Lead Nurse in Neonatal Services at UHDB, said the improvements were shaped by the experiences of families who have previously used the unit and support the 'family unit to stay together' by promoting family integrated care.
She said: "It is often a really challenging time for families when their baby needs support from the Neonatal Unit and while some patients are only with us for a short amount of time, other families have a much longer stay. It is important to us that they feel comfortable and supported and that this is a welcoming and soothing environment for them to make home while their baby is with us."
Linda Hunn, Director and Lead Nurse for the East Midlands Neonatal Operational Delivery Network, believes the new unit offers an 'enhanced' environment and experience for special care babies and their families.
Linda added: "This design supports family integrated care, allowing parents to remain close to their baby throughout their stay, fostering bonding and emotional connection. The ability for families to stay together will reduce stress and provide a more comforting and supportive experience during what can be a challenging time.
"Supporting families to stay together in this way ensures that parents will remain central to their baby’s care which will promote confidence in their ability, positively impacting their baby’s development and recovery."
This investment into the Special Care Baby Unit is just one of the ways we are improving our maternity and neonatal services at UHDB. Our dedicated maternity and neonatal teams have made significant improvements over the past two years through a trust-wide improvement programme, which is helping us to deliver safer, more personalised care to women, families and babies.
You can find out more about how we are making maternity care safer on our website here >