Family bedrooms on NICU to receive a makeover

Thanks to a successful grant the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) is updating its bedrooms for families on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

The NNUH has been awarded a grant of more than £9,500 from Bliss, the UK charity which works to provide the best possible care and support for all premature and sick babies and their families.

As a level three neonatal intensive care unit, many babies and their families are transferred to NNUH from other hospitals in the region, and often stay away from home for several weeks or months. NICU has five bedrooms attached to the unit which are used by parents who have babies in a life threatening condition, who are breast feeding or prior to the babies going home.

The funding will be used to update the bedrooms and sitting room for parents to provide a more comfortable and relaxing environment. The unit is purchasing new pull out beds, duvets, linen, comfortable chairs and soft furnishings.

Julia Shirtliffe, Bliss Family Care Coordinator at NNUH, supports families throughout their time on NICU. She said: “We receive lots of feedback from families who are incredibly grateful that they’ve been able to stay on the unit to be near their babies. We are delighted that we have been granted this funding to update the rooms to make them more friendly and homely for our families whilst they are going through a difficult time in their lives.”