Luton and Dunstable's neonatal unit introduces new technology in bid to become Bliss accredited

As part of its long-term plan to become a fully accredited Bliss Baby Charter Unit, Luton and Dunstable University Hospital has rolled out the use of noise cancelling headphones in its NICU, enabling parents to spend more quality time with newborn infants while protecting patient confidentiality during medical ward rounds.

Currently during ward rounds only parents of the baby that the doctors are discussing at that time can stay in the nursery. Everyone else must leave so that doctors can speak confidentially to the parents concerned. The new wireless radio headphones will block out background noise, including conversations, allowing parents to stay with their babies during ward rounds.

The introduction of the headphones, a project led by Lead for Nursing Clinical Quality Claire Adamson, is one of the many steps the hospital is taking to further improve its approach to family-centred care.

NICU Clinical Director Dr Jennifer Birch says: "We are committed to fully involving parents in the care of their baby on the NICU and to delivering truly family-centred neonatal care in order to improve parents' experience at this very challenging time.

"We are aiming to become one of the few Bliss accredited hospitals, and the introduction of the headphones to the NICU is a welcome step forward in that process. I'm extremely proud of the team that worked hard to raise money for the project, generating more than £700 from a cake sale held for World Prematurity Day. It's great to see that this small change has made such a positive impact and parents can now spend more time participating in the care of their baby."