A NEW and improved care unit for premature babies has opened at a Worcester hospital.

The £180,000, six-bed transitional care unit at the Worcestershire Royal is designed to help babies who are born too early or need extra care while supporting their mums. The new facility means a larger, improved environment for patients with a more centralised nurses’ station creating space for an extra bed and enabling nurses to keep a closer eye on patient care The unit has already been praised by its first patients including mum Gill Davison and her triplets Alex, James and Amy.

“The biggest difference is the space, light and fresh air,” she said. “It took minutes to get us into the new unit and it’s a much better environment. The staff have been fantastic, we’ve had so much support and I couldn’t have asked for better care.”

Penny Venables, the chief executive at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, is thrilled with the new unit which took 10 weeks to complete.

“I am delighted to see the opening of the new unit, which will significantly improve the experience of our mums and babies who have to stay in hospital for a little longer,” she said.

Rachel Carter, the hospital’s matron for maternity inpatient services, said: “With the new air conditioning we’re able to closely control the temperature in both sides of the room – depending on the needs of our mums and babies. “There’s more space for our new mums and it just makes everyone so much more relaxed.

“We’ve put a lot of thought into the way we’ve set up the midwives station too – we can see all our patients without them feeling like they are being observed.”