Six new cots for NNUH neonatal unit

Work is underway in a £365,000 project at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital to create room for another six special care baby unit cots in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

The hospital's neonatal intensive care unit is one of two centres providing specialist level three neonatal, medical and surgical intensive care across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The Norwich NICU currently has a total of 22 cots, rising to 28 once the SCBU work is completed.

The Special Care Baby Unit has been identified as needing increased cots to help provide the region-wide service. The expansion has been funded by the Strategic Health Authority for Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

The construction work is being phased in order to maintain the SCBU service and to minimise disruption to patients and staff. It is expected the SCBU work will be completed in August and overall completion by October.

Dr Mark Dyke, clinical director said: “We are extremely proud of the work done here in NICU and SCBU but  sometimes frustrated when we see local mothers and babies have to travel elsewhere for their care because all our cots are full. So, we are delighted to be having the additional cots which will allow us to look after even more babies locally as well as offering care to babies from around Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire who need the expertise that our staff can offer.”

Julie Mullett, neonatal nurse manager, said: “It's fantastic news for our neonatal babies and their families. This expansion reflects the hard work and skill of our staff in delivering a very specialist service to babies from a wide geographical area.”

The main entrance to the Jenny Lind Children's Department will be closed for two days at the end of the construction programme to allow the contractors to remove scaffolding.