A new behind the scenes virtual tour of the Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care, which cares for the youngest patients at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, is now available on the hospital’s website.
The tour aims to help familiarise parents and families with the neonatal environment at the hospital and gives them the opportunity to virtually meet some of the RUH staff who work on the unit.
While the majority of babies born at the RUH won’t need to be cared for in the neonatal unit, some will need extra help because they have been born prematurely, have breathing difficulties or feeding problems.
The award-winning department is based in a contemporary building filled with natural light, with nursery rooms arranged around a clockwise route to illustrate the patient’s journey, beginning with the intensive/high care nursery and ending with special care nurseries.
The tour explores the whole of the unit, including the intensive care and high dependency nursery, the playroom for siblings, the baby bathing area and one of the family bedrooms, which allow parents to stay on site while their little ones are cared for.
The video also explains the equipment that parents will see on the unit and includes short interviews with parents explaining the support that babies and their families can expect from the unit.
Kirstie Flood, Senior Sister in the Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care, said, “We hope this virtual tour will give prospective parents the opportunity to explore behind the scenes and help to reduce any worries that they may have.
“The interactive nature of these tours puts parents in control, enabling them to explore all areas of the unit, meet members of the team and even hear from parents who have had their babies cared for by us.
“We understand what a worrying time it can be for parents who have a baby on the unit, so we want to do as much as we can to help reduce that anxiety.”
The tour has been produced by the South West Neonatal Network, as part of a series of videos showing behind the scenes at the region’s 12 neonatal units.
You can watch the video on the RUH’s website here
Find out more about the South West Neonatal Network at www.swneonatalnetwork.co.uk