Caring 4 Kids - More space to care for the tiniest tots (From Salisbury Journal)

Caring 4 Kids - More space to care for the tiniest tots

4:44pm Thursday 26th November 2009 in News By Jill Harding

OF the 3,000 babies born at Salisbury District Hospital every year, ten per cent require treatment on the neonatal intensive care unit.

Some of the tots start to thrive very quickly and are able to go home within days but for the earliest and most unwell babies, their first few months of life can be spent in an incubator.

While the tiny patients are mercifully unaware of their difficult start in the world, for their parents it can be an emotional rollercoaster - and the Stars Appeal wants to do all it can to make this terrible time easier for them.

From the walls covered with heartfelt letters, pictures and thank you notes, it is clear to see the care the babies receive is second to none. But the size of the unit means it can quickly become crowded and uncomfortable for the parents holding anxious vigils beside the tiny cots.

The large amounts of equipment and lack of space make it hard for families to sit around incubators when the unit is full, and there are only two screens, giving very limited privacy for parents at difficult moments.

Although the staff do the best they can with three different treatment rooms, a small room where parents can take a much-needed break and a kitchen - there is no escaping the fact the unit can get very cramped.

It became the NICU about 20 years ago, initially as a temporary measure, but has never moved.

One of the greatest limitations is that there is no space for mothers to be cared for next to their newborns, meaning they often have to stay on the postnatal ward without their babies, which can be a strange and distressing experience.

In addition, there is nowhere for parents to stay, which means they often have to travel many miles to visit the NICU - and there is little space for nurses to help them prepare to take their tiny bundles of joy home.

But all that is about to change.

Plans are in place to move the NICU to the empty Wilton Ward, which will have significantly more space.

And the existing unit will be transformed into family accommodation where parents can stay close at hand.

The Caring 4 Kids Campaign wants to raise £250,000 to convert the current building into en-suite bedrooms, a kitchen, living area and playroom for older siblings.

There will also be a quiet room to give greater privacy at difficult times, and a space for parent education where staff can help them prepare to take their babies home and understand some of the challenges of caring for a premature or unwell newborn.

The new NICU in Wilton Ward will house all the equipment, including the specialist incubators and monitoring machinery bought by the Stars Appeal’s previous Little Lifes Campaign, and have room for beds where new mothers can be cared for next to their babies.

There will be more space for parents to sit next to the incubators and the current damp and dilapidated corridor outside the special baby care unit will be transformed into a bright and colourful walkway between the family unit and NICU.

NICU nurse Bonnie Edwards said: “Due to the large geographical area we serve, parents are often commuting long distances to come to visit their child, sometimes only being able to stay for an hour or so because of transport or other such family commitments. This much-needed new facility will enable parents to spend valuable and prolonged time with their baby, which we know will have positive effects on bonding, getting feeding established and ultimately shorter hospital stays.”

Work is planned to start next year with the new units due to open in 2011.

Although the move to the Wilton Ward will be funded by the NHS, the family unit will be entirely funded by the Stars Appeal - provided the people of Salisbury continue the fantastic fundraising efforts which will make such a difference to the hospital’s tiniest patients and their families.

Case study – Kira and Rebekah Chapman

KAY Chapman knows just how distressing a premature birth can be – her twins Kira and Rebekah were born three months early weighing just 2lbs.

They were cared for in the NICU for nine weeks until they were well enough to go home and are now bubbly, fun-loving three-year-olds who are thriving and learning fast at their nursery.

“Having the girls so early was frightening, but when we were transferred to Salisbury NICU it felt as if we had come home,” said Kay.

“The staff were so friendly and helpful and encouraged us to handle the girls and do as much as we could for them ourselves.

“The new unit and the facilities the Stars Appeal is raising money for are really important. It will make such a difference for parents to be able to stay at the unit overnight and be close to their babies before bringing them home. The current NICU is very cramped, so a new unit, with a lighter and brighter environment, will make things much easier for everyone.

“Looking at Kira and Rebekah now you wouldn’t know what a difficult start they had. We’ll always be grateful for the care we received at Salisbury NICU and are going to continue supporting the Stars Appeal so that, in future, families like us will receive care in much improved surroundings.”