Newly released photos from Nottingham University Hospitals show the progress of the construction work on the expanded Neonatal Unit at the city’ Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC), which is set to open in December.
The project will see the original unit almost quadruple in size to 2,000 m2, and increase the number of intensive, high dependency, and special care cots at QMC from 17 to 38, as well as improve the experience for families and staff working in ‘neonates’. The latest photos show that the internal walls are all constructed, and the structural work to support the unit’s new medical equipment and ceilings is being installed. Completion of electrical and plumbing works is also now underway, with glass screens between each cot to be installed in September.
Jenni Twinn, director of the Maternity and Neonatal Programme, said: “Our construction is moving at pace, and it’s exciting to see the new unit taking shape. Now that the internal walls are all in place we are getting a feel for what the facility will look like. This will really benefit our families and staff, as it will provide more space and privacy for families, and create a better staff working environment. We have really focused on the families, their experience, and how it feels for our staff to work in a high-pressured, yet rewarding, clinical area. The unit’s construction is on track, and we look forward to opening it and welcoming babies and their families in December.”
Once completed the new unit will provide a whole host of benefits to both staff and families – including acoustic underlay to help minimise noise, and glass screens which will provide dignity as well as an additional acoustic barrier between the cot bays. The screens will also be retractable, and will enable families with more than one baby to have a larger space all together on the unit. There is a larger staff room to support staff wellbeing, and accommodate increasing numbers of staff in line with the service’s expansion
Additionally, ceiling-mounted medical pendants will be installed in line with best practice to ensure all medical equipment is co-located and off the floor to help support infection control measures. Parents and carers will have utility recliners and visitor chairs alongside every cot, even while observations are being undertaken by the medical team.
Following relocation to the new, expanded unit at QMC, the Neonatal Unit at City Hospital will be redesignated as a ‘Local Neonatal Unit’, where babies will be able to continue to receive high dependency and specialist care for up to 48 hours, before being transferred to the QMC for longer term care, when needed.
To help fund several enhancements for the new unit the Nottingham Hospitals Charity has launched its Big Appeal, which aims to raise £1.5million over the next three years. The donations will provide specialist training and education areas, equipment, and aesthetic improvements, to make the whole environment – and particularly the family areas and parent accommodation, as welcoming and calming as possible.
