Neonatal Unit UHNM Stoke-On-Trent

12/05/2024

On this International Nurses Day, we extend our deepest gratitude to all the nurses who cradle the future in their skilled and compassionate hands.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment, for the sleepless nights, and for every comforting touch you provide. Your role is pivotal, your care is priceless, and your impact immeasurable.

With heartfelt thanks
Neonatal Unit,
UHNM.
🌼

12th May is Nurses Day, which celebrates all Nurses, Nursing staff, and Nursing teams for all they do across the NHS, health and social care, our communities, and the world.
We are celebrating nurses and nursing teams at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust Neonatal Unit UHNM Stoke-On-Trent and at Queen's Hospital Burton University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
We asked you to share your celebration stories about your experiences with staff and teams, and we will be sharing these today, huge thanks everyone that has taken the time to contact us 💜

10/05/2024

A huge heartfelt thank you to Leah and Wes who have kindly donated £400 to our Neonatal Unit at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust in recognition for all that they did to look after their friends daughter, Ada.

Leah and Wes' son Frank was christened last month, and his parents kindly offered to donate the money gifted to Frank to the unit at Royal Stoke in recognition for all that they did for Baby Ada and her family.

Abigail, Ava's mum and a friend of Leah's said "We love them all very much and thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their generosity.

"All of the staff at the NICU went above and beyond to take care of our tiny 2lb baby girl who was born 14 weeks early back in February 2023.

"Tom and I thank each and every person that helped Ava on her difficult journey, thankfully we were able to take her home after 96 long days on the unit.

Since then she has thrived and grown into a perfect little girl that is loved very much."

Lauren Farnell, Senior Sister on the Neonatal Unit at Royal Stoke said "we are so grateful to Leah and Wes for thinking of us at Frank's christening, and we will put the money to good use on the unit."

💝✨

18/04/2024

Congratulations to Neonatal Unit UHNM Stoke-On-Trent team member Ghada - some more lovely feedback received from a local family.
Please share your stories with us by DM or email sasot.mnvp@nhs.net
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust

10/04/2024

08/03/2024

The family of a newborn baby who needed the expert care of our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) rung in the New Year with a festive fundraising swim. 🏊‍♀️🏖🎄

Whilst many of us were nursing a sore head or dipping into the leftover Christmas chocolates, Diane Evans-Nelmes, Emma Dodd and Jo Mansfield were in Lyme Regis taking part in the annual fancy dress swim raising over £750 for UHNM Charity. 👏

The family from Werrington took a dip in the English Channel to thank staff on NICU for providing care to Diane’s granddaughter Edith, who spent two days on the Unit in October 2023.

🗣 Diane said: “It was absolutely beautiful. We were in Lyme Regis to celebrate Edith's aunty Emma’s birthday, so she was dressed as a birthday cake. I was dressed as a butterfly and along with honorary aunty Jo, we joined in with lots of people doing lots of fundraising- the atmosphere was buzzing.”

🗣 Emma added: “We all enjoyed taking part in what we called a plunge rather than a swim as the water was so cold, but we still managed to have a dance and do the conga. I’m amazed we raised so much, family and friends have been so generous because we all love Edith and are glad that UHNM were there when we needed them.

🗣 Edith's Mum Katie Evans-Nelmes said: “Edith was was quite poorly when she was born via emergency caesarean, having swallowed meconium whilst still in the womb. She needed resuscitating, oxygen and antibiotics and then spent two days in NICU.

“The team were so lovely and kind. One of the nurses really helped me get on my breast-feeding journey, something which I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do following such a traumatic birth. They’re all just amazing people.”

Katie, Emma and Edith returned to NICU to present their cheque to staff. 🏥

🤔💡 Thinking of fundraising for UHNM Charity? Check out our website for tips on how to get started 👉 https://www.uhnmcharity.org.uk/get-involved/fundraise-for-us/

12/01/2024

A huge good luck to Ange Fleming who is due to start her fundraising challenge of attempting to walk to all 105 trig points in Staffordshire as well as climbing Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain!

She is raising money for the UHNM Charity for the Forget Me Not suite at the Maternity Centre at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust to give back to the department who cared for her grandson and daughter throughout extremely difficult times for herself and the family.

Ange mentions that "they are such a fantastic department doing a very difficult job but providing little personal touches to families that mean a lot. Any money I can raise can never be enough but goes a way to help those who need the suite in the future and make a comforting difference at such a difficult time."

See Ange's JustGiving page here if you wish to help and donate to such a wonderful cause! ➡️ https://www.justgiving.com/page/ange-fleming-1704479825148?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fange-fleming-1704479825148&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share

11/01/2024

We are so grateful for the support of our families who have helped raise funds for our neonatal unit. Their generosity has made a huge difference in the lives of many families.

Thank you for your unwavering support and dedication to this cause.

Thank you to kind-hearted staff at Silverdale Bathrooms who have donated £250 to UHNM Charity after choosing to donate money instead of sending Christmas cards.

Pictured is Abigail Whalley, of Silverdale Bathrooms, who recently dropped off a cheque which will benefit babies and families at the Neonatal Unit at Staffordshire Children's Hospital at Royal Stoke

11/01/2024

Parents of premature twins have raised over £3,000 for University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust's Forget Me Not Suite.

Karis Thompson and Jack Burgwin, from Stoke, fundraised for UHNM Charity in memory of daughters Ayda Lane and Remi Love who were born at 19 weeks. 🩷🩷

The funds have enabled staff to purchase a cooling ‘cuddle cot’, a lightweight, portable unit that provides grieving families with an opportunity to spend time with their loved ones away from a clinical setting.

🗣 Karis said: “We found out about Ayda and Remi in late 2022 and I went into early labour in February 2023 and had them at Royal Stoke’s Maternity Centre.

“The care at UHNM was amazing, they were all very nice people. We were very lucky to have the cuddle cot, we say that all the time. Being able to bring them home, albeit for a short while for a few days.

“We got to bond with them, read stories to them, and all the family met them and got to spend time with them so they felt like part of the family. When you lose a baby they could almost feel like not part of the family, but because everybody met them they made them real.

“We made an online donations page and shared it on social media. Through family and friends, we raised over £3,000- there were some amazingly kind and large donations.

“We wanted to fundraise for UHNM Charity so the Forget Me Not Suite could buy the cuddle cot because of the difference ours made to us. We especially wanted other families to be able to benefit and go through the same experience we did, and be able to bring them home. Some people don’t get the chance to, and I can’t say how much it helped us and helped us to grieve.

“You feel sad and can’t comprehend that somebody else is going to have to use it, but you feel good that you’re able to give them the chance to grieve properly and bring them home.”

🗣 Caroline Birchall, Bereavement Specialist Midwife added: “We would like to say a huge thank you Karis and Jack, as well as their family and friends and everybody who donated. There is an unfortunate demand for the cuddle cots, so having another unit will ensure as many parents and families as possible are able to benefit.”

To fundraise for UHNM Charity visit our website 👉 https://www.uhnmcharity.org.uk/get-involved/fundraise-for-us/

10/01/2024

The safest place for your baby to sleep is on their back in a moses basket or cot in the same room as you for the first six months, even during the day 👶💤

Find out more at: www.pha.site/SaferSleep

19/12/2023

Over the last few weeks and months, we have been sharing our wonderful Maternity and Neonatal Champions 💜 This is a volunteer role that is vital to the work of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent MNVP. Champions act as representatives of you, local families, by actively seeking out feedback and stories of your experiences of local maternity and neonatal services, and feed this into meetings and within workstreams, to ensure local service user voice is always included.

We are currently looking to add to the group, particularly to increase representation and diversity, reflective of the whole of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
Could you be our next Maternity and Neonatal Champion?

Find out more, and register your interest here - https://staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk/maternity-and-neonatal.../


University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust Neonatal Unit UHNM Stoke-On-Trent University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust MPFT 0-19 City HV and SN South Staffordshire Families Health and Wellbeing Service 0-19 Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System

05/12/2023

UHNM Maternity services in November 2023!👶🍼

Have you had your baby with us in November?

Let us know in the comments below and share your pictures.

30/11/2023

this week is for a special Neonatal Nurse, who made a big impression on a family's time on the Neonatal Unit - well done Ghada 💜
Neonatal Unit UHNM Stoke-On-Trent University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust

26/11/2023

Did you know that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) can be prevented through safe sleep practices? Visit our webpage for resources to help. http://www.staffsstokeics.org.uk/safe-sleep

20/11/2023

😊

University Hospitals of North Midlands reopens new unit for newborn babies

Maternity care at University Hospitals of North Midlands is being enhanced thanks to the reopening of its transitional care unit which officially reopened on World Prematurity Day.

The transitional care unit at Staffordshire Children’s Hospital at Royal Stoke is a 10-bedded area located on ward 205 that cares for babies who require additional nursing and monitoring but do not need the level of care required from a neonatal unit.

The unit provides jaundice treatment, nasogastric (tube) feeding, feeding support and IV antibiotic therapy keeping mothers and babies together where usually they would be separated if they needed this support.

New mum Georgia Hawthorne, from Sneyd Green officially opened the unit on Friday 17 November after giving birth to son Elijah at 35 weeks, weighing 5lb 5oz.

Georgia, 21, said: “It’s been lovely to be the first family on the unit today and I was so pleased to open the unit officially. If it wasn’t for the unit I would have to go home and be separated from him. Having this available to us means we are kept together which is so important.

“I don’t know what I would do without the midwives and nurses here, they have been fantastic, the care has been amazing but we can’t wait to get home now.”

Katy Edwards, Matron for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, said: “We are delighted to be able to reopen the transitional care unit, especially on World Prematurity Day. It’s been a long time in the making, with a lot of work going on behind the scenes. It’s all about keeping mothers and babies together and enhancing family experiences.

“Unfortunately, we had to close the unit at the beginning on the year due to staffing pressures but now with a new model in place we have been able to recruit a brand new team which enables us to keep mother and baby together and avoiding any separation.”

Sarah Roberts, UHNM Neonatal Community Outreach lead, said: “We have worked incredibly hard to get the unit reopened. We have recruited a core group of staff that make transitional care their own sub-speciality of neonates.

“It’s about family centred care, the family are the priority and we have added equipment for siblings so they can come and visit their new family member and we made the unit a bit more homely feel, so everyone can feel more comfortable.

“The quality of care has been enhanced by having the unit now open and it’s fantastic to see.”

17/11/2023

💜

Today is World Prematurity Day.
Sending love to all of the little heroes born too soon and their parents.

17/11/2023

Aren’t they just adorable 🥰 🥰