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New Neonatal Unit At Waikato Hospital
Media information
For immediate release
Date: 13 February 2009
New Neonatal Unit At Waikato Hospital
Newborn babies requiring intensive care at Waikato Hospital will soon be in a larger, lighter and brighter space when the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) opens later this month.
A ceremony on Monday (16 February) will mark the official opening. The babies and staff move in the following week.
The new premises have a floor area four times larger than the old NICU with greater patient capacity and more space for staff and visiting family.
Some of the nurseries overlook the Hamilton Lake, a view parents and family members will appreciate after spending weeks, sometimes months in the unit.
Neonatologist Dr Phil Weston was closely involved in the design of the new unit. He said the new facilities are a huge development for the hospital.
"I'm extremely pleased with how it's looking. It will be a huge boost for staff when they move in and babies and their families will feel a lot more comfortable.
"The staff have seen it grow, seen other new units in New Zealand open and finally our turn has come.
"It is particularly pleasing that many of the NICU staff were involved in the design, and I am grateful to all those who have invested time and energy, over and above their regular commitments in order to achieve the best result possible," Dr Weston said.
The new unit has seven nurseries that can hold 44 newborn babies.
Each intensive cot space inside the unit has its own piece of modern technology with high-tech ceiling-mounted pendants that hold all the necessary gases, oxygen, suction, intravenous pumps and a computer monitor installed.
NICU unit manager, Gem Williams said the pendants, ordered from a specialist in Australia, allow everything that is required to care for the newborn to be within an arm's reach.
"Previously there would be a whole lot of equipment around the cot but these pendants put it all in one place above the cot at eye level.
"It will be so much more convenient for staff and will not only replace all the machinery but all the cords that come with them too," she said.
Mrs Williams said the pendants also have an emergency call button.
"In the older premises, this was in the middle of the nursery and required the nurse to move away from the baby to call for assistance," she said.
Construction on the new NICU began in 2007, an extension out from the existing unit. Access will be through Level B1 of the Elizabeth Rothwell Building.
The move will take most of the day with each baby's 100-metre journey into the new unit carefully planned and mapped out..
Extra staff will be on-hand as to move each nursery into the new area one-by-one.
First up will be the healthiest babies with up to three nurses wheeling their cots through to the new unit followed by the more acute babies with up to five nurses per cot.
After staff and babies move into the new area, the old area will undergo partial refurbishment to create office space and family/whanau areas.
Since opening in the early 1980s, the current NICU provided care to more than 22,000 newborn babies from throughout the wider Midland region.
Unfortunately, some of these babies died inside the NICU so Waikato Hospital is also hosting a farewell ceremony for them and their families on Friday 27 February, 4-6pm level B1 Elizabeth Rothwell Building.
The ceremony is a chance for families to say goodbye to an area where they spent a lot of time.
ENDS
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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