Sunderland Royal Hospital visited by Luke O'Nien after £1m neonatal unit revamp
by Owen Younger · ChronicleLiveSunderland Royal Hospital was visited by Luke O'Nien after a £1m revamp of the neonatal unit. The Sunderland AFC captain officially opened the new rooms and met families who were staying with their newborns.
The project has been funded by the STS Charity, which is run by South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust to cover the cost of extras for patients.
The addition of four new ensuite rooms is believed to make Sunderland's the first neonatal service in the region to offer such a service. One of the rooms is accessible and two are family rooms, with a kitchen and laundry room also available for use.
The accommodation has been created alongside two revamped bedrooms within the unit, which are also ensuite, and are free for families to use as they prepare to head home.
The unit also has a new expressing room and a quiet space for private time, as well as a family room where parents can eat and relax and eight intensive care and high dependency cots, with space for nine other babies who need special care.
Black Cats star O'Nien's own children were born at the hospital’s maternity department. He was given a tour of the unit before opening the accommodation, so he could see the work first-hand.
Luke said: "It was great to be able to visit the unit, meet the staff and see first-hand how babies who are premature or need extra help get the care they need. I know being a new parent is a really daunting time, so having those extra concerns must be a stressful time for them.
"The team told me all about how the charity funds have helped make it a better place for them to work and for the families they support. The staff are doing a great job and the parents who are there with their little ones really are seeing the benefit of the new spaces, as well as the accommodation which must make a big difference when they need to stay nearby."
Emily Cameron, ward manager, said: "We absolutely love the new look unit. It looks light and modern, the wall stickers make it less clinical and now it’s a fitting place for babies and families to be.
"It’s a much better use of our space when we’re caring for our babies and the team are really happy with how it all works. Families face a really stressful time when their newborns need our help and we want to make it as comfortable as possible for them on the unit.
"We did have a couple of rooms within the unit before, but they weren’t fit for purpose and demand was really high. Parents could stay in a nearby hotel, but that wasn’t a great experience for them.
"We know having mam and dad with our babies helps them in those early days and it means they’re involved in their care more closely too. We are so grateful to the charity for their support for this project and all the parents and team members who have played a part in making it all possible."
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