YEOVIL NEWS: Hospital overwhelmed by support for new special care baby unit appeal

A BRAND new state-of-the-art special care baby unit has been unveiled at Yeovil District Hospital - thanks to the magnificent fundraising efforts of the amazing Flying Colours Appeal.

The unit was opened on Thursday (June 2, 2016) by Sam and Josh Langford, whose twin daughters, Anna and Mya, were born in the previous SCBU in 2013 and have been staunch supporters of the appeal from the beginning.

Sam said: “I had my twin girls at Yeovil Hospital. The team on the special care baby unit looked after them really well.

“As a way of saying thank you, I decided to do some volunteer work for Yeovil Hospital Charity. I wanted to help the hospital to create a bigger unit with much more space for parents.

“It was cramped in the unit although the staff were amazing. I found it difficult because there were so many parents in such a small space.

“Most of the parents in the unit were anxious about their newborn baby and wanted more than anything to take them home. This can make it a stressful place to be at times, which is difficult when you need some peace and quiet to feed your baby. It is also difficult for those parents who have been given bad news, there wasn’t really anywhere private for them to go.”

In total over £600,000 was raised which was used to completely refurbish and build a brand new SCBU.

James Kirton, head of fundraising for Yeovil Hospital Charity, said: “We have been overwhelmed with support for this appeal and would like to thank every single person who has donated money or organised an event.

“The charity’s aim is to make a difference for patients and this new unit is going to have an enormous impact, so thank you to everyone that helped us to make it happen.”

The design of the new unit was influenced by responses from existing parents who were asked how the unit could be improved. The design focussed on improving privacy and dignity for families as well as increasing the amount of space for babies and their families.

Lorraine Slack, Sister of the unit, said: “This new unit is fantastic and has twice as much space as the old unit offering large, individual bays for both parents to be able to sit with their babies.

“There is also a counselling room for parents to be able to talk to staff about treatment plans, a dedicated family room, and a toilet within the unit for parents so they can be closer to their baby. The new equipment is state-of-the-art and gives us the best environment to care for our babies that need extra support when they are born. These changes are going to make a huge difference for the families that use the unit, as well as the staff working there. ”

Yeovil Hospital’s chief executive, Paul Mears, said: “We cannot thank our local community and donors enough for raising the money to create this fantastic new space for parents and their babies.

“It really is an amazing environment that we are proud to have for any families that may need it in the future. The funds raised by Yeovil Hospital Charity paid for this superb new facility and it just goes to show how generous our local community is.”

The new special care baby unit will be operational from next week and is equipped to care for eight babies.

A special care baby unit is a specialist ward that a baby will be admitted onto if it requires medical help after birth. Yeovil District Hospital cares for between 200-300 babies every year on this unit.

The Flying Colours Appeal was organised by the hospital’s official charity, Yeovil Hospital Charity, which raises funds to make a difference for patients at Yeovil Hospital.

 There are around 1,600 babies born in Yeovil District Hospital every year.

PHOTO – TOP: Pictured (from left) Dr Michael Fernando, Consultant Paediatrician; Dr Paul Heaton, Consultant Paediatrician; Neil Holloman, Project Manager; Anna Cannon, Matron; James Kirton, Head of Fundraising; Sam Langford, Josh Langford, Anna Langford, Mya Langford, family who opened the unit; Paul Mears, Chief Executive; Sarah Cherry, Community Fundraiser; Paul von der Heyde, Chairman and Lorraine Slack, Sister.

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