Health and Social Care Minister Howard Quayle MHK today officially opened the island’s £4m neonatal intensive care unit.
In a ceremony at Noble’s Hospital Mr Quayle unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion and spoke to guests – including contractors, staff involved in the project and clinicians who deliver care to the island’s seriously-ill babies – to congratulate them on the achievement of successfully completing the project on time and on budget.
The facility ensures that the island can maintain its status as a ‘level 2’ neonatal unit and adhere to the standards set by the British Association of Perinatal Medicine.
Professor Neena Modi of Imperial College London, the President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, was the guest of honour, and travelled to the island for the opening ceremony.
She said: ‘I’d like to congratulate the team on this great achievement. It was a pleasure to tour the unit and I can see there has been vision in its design. It is absolutely up to the specifications that we expect; it is future proof and will stand the island in good stead over the years to come.’
The facility is the first major extension to Noble’s Hospital since it opened in 2003. It is on the first floor of the east wing of the hospital, next to the Jane Crookall Maternity Ward.
The unit provides:
Nine cots with dedicated rooms for resuscitation and isolation
An improved layout and floor plan with two separate ward environments which enhances privacy and reduces the risk of infection
Improved overnight accommodation for parents, an important consideration at what can be an extremely distressing time
Additional storage space for vital equipment.
Consultant paediatrician and neonatologist at Noble’s Hospital, Dr Prakash Thiagarajan, said: ‘It’s been almost 10 weeks since the unit opened. The move went well and we have an exceptional facility which is making a real difference to the quality of care we are able to provide acutely unwell new-borns and the support we can provide their parents.’