New special care baby cots open

Today saw the opening of six new special care baby unit cots at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital's 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 had a total of 22 cots, rising to 28 now.

The Special Care Baby Unit was been identified as needing increased cots to help provide the region-wide service. The expansion was been funded by the Strategic Health Authority. A £365,000 construction project expanded the special care baby unit and ten new neonatal nurses have been recruited to staff the expanded unit.

Dr Mark Dyke, divisional 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 have the additional cots and staff 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.”