Maternity and Neonatal Redesign Programme

On 10 December 2024 we were thrilled to open our brand new £32million neonatal unit at the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham.  We are now the largest in the East Midlands in terms of cots and footprint.

The new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) is four times the size of the previous one, has been designed to be a home-from-home for babies and their families, and it is hoped that it will help to set a standard for neonatal units across the UK.

Funded by NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board, the neonatal unit will provide an additional 21 cots at QMC, taking the total to 38, and the overall footprint of the site has increased from 500m² to 2000m²

Key features on the NICU include larger cot bays, providing more space for families when visiting and staying with their babies; glass screening between bays to provide acoustic barriers and privacy; several retractable glass dividers for families with twins and triplets; family accommodation, kitchen and lounge areas; and two play areas so that siblings have their own space to play.    

In a first for a NUH neonatal unit, a dedicated bereavement suite has been introduced, providing families with a calm and peaceful environment at a very difficult time in their lives, and families can stay for as long they need.

State-of-the-art facilities for staff on the unit include a specialised treatment room, Mindray monitors to record vital signs, and pendants to keep medical equipment up off the floor, creating more care space.

NUH’s Chief Executive Officer, Anthony May, said: “The redesign and expansion of our neonatal services has been almost 20 years in the planning, and was only made possible with the funding we received in 2022 from NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care.

“This funding provided us with a rare and exciting opportunity to design a neonatal unit that not only meets the needs of our families but also provides our highly skilled neonatal staff with a working environment they deserve, both now in the future.

“The unit will make a huge difference to the 800 premature babies we support here at NUH every year and is already attracting interest from national neonatal teams.  Thanks to the many people who have played a part in its design and creation, we have a facility that we can justifiably be proud of.”

The limited size of the old QMC unit meant that over 100 babies requiring specialist care had to be transferred out of the area each year. By increasing the capacity at the QMC, we can ensure that the smallest and sickest newborn babies from the whole of the East Midlands are cared for in the best location and with the right resources.

Programme Director, Jenni Twinn, has led the delivery of the neonatal unit and explained that a huge amount of thought has gone into the design. 
She said: “We have been on an incredible journey.  When we first set out on this project we wanted to do things a bit differently, to provide a unit that is exactly what our families and staff need.  We are confident we have achieved this and, in doing so, we have created a real home-from-home.

“Everything has been carefully thought out, from the soothing colours and furniture used to provide a comforting feel, to installing the latest state-of-the-art technology that will enhance the experience of both families and staff. 

It is this attention to detail that sets this unit apart and which will really make a difference to all those involved.

“This would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of so many people who have committed to making this beautiful unit a reality.”
To ensure the cot numbers are increased in the safest way possible, the NICU will not be expanding the number of cots in use until the new year.

As a result of the new facility, the QMC has become NUH’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the neonatal unit at City Hospital is now a Local Neonatal Unit – where babies can continue to receive intensive care for a short period of time, before being transferred to the QMC for longer-term care, if needed.

Dr Lleona Lee, consultant neonatologist and NUH’s Clinical Lead for the redesign, added: “I know that staff are really excited to be moving to the new unit, and we have had some lovely feedback from the staff who have visited.  We are looking forward to providing our best care for our patients and families in our purpose-built facility.

“We have long recognised the need to provide more cots for those babies who need our specialist care, as previously, too many have been sent out of the area to receive their care. The new unit will have a significant positive impact on the lives and futures of the neonatal babies we care for, as well as the staff who work within it.”

Nottingham Hospitals Charity have provided more than £322,000 in fundraising support as part of their Big Appeal to support some of the enhancements included on the neonatal unit to help it to feel like a home from home. This includes the frosted glass partition screens for the bays, the children’s play areas and televisions for the family rooms.

Nigel Gregory, Chief Executive of Nottingham Hospitals Charity, said: “Thanks to all those who have generously donated to our Big Appeal, we are delighted to have been able to fund some of the special touches, home comforts and additional equipment that will help make this new neonatal unit a home-from-home for babies and families.
 
“With poorly babies and their families at the forefront of our minds, we have funded added extras such as glazed screens between bays, to allow families to have space and privacy with their babies, welcoming wall art in the entrance to help visitors feel at home when entering the unit, and comfortable furniture and play equipment for siblings visiting their baby brothers and sisters. I’d like to thank everyone who has donated to make this possible, it will make a real difference to families who may be spending weeks or even months on the unit.”