End of Treatment bell signals babies' roads to recovery

Wrexham Maelor Hospital has been gifted a bell to help signal the end of patient treatment, which has taken pride of place on the SCBU.

Baby Theo Shaw, together with his parents Amanda and Stephen, was the first patient to ring the new bell. He was born 12 weeks early and spent more than two months in intensive care.

Amanda says: "The bell ringing ceremony was really quite emotional. I read out a verse and the staff took some photographs. It was a lovely way to round off what had been quite a stressful couple of months."

Deputy manager on the unit Lisa Andrews says: "Staff at the neonatal unit are overjoyed to offer this unique experience to their patients, who have often had long and difficult journeys.

"It is a privilege to be part of a team that helps make children better, and to bear witness to the end of treatment bell celebration makes it all the more sweet."

The bell was gifted by the End of Treatment Bells organisation, which was set up by Tracey Payton and husband Phil after their daughter Emma rang one on her discharge from hospital in Oklahoma, USA, where she underwent treatment for a rare soft tissue cancer.

Tracey says: "We loved the bell and the symbolic nature of it. Since then, we have placed over 250 bells in the UK and abroad for patients to ring to celebrate milestones during their treatment. It's not just a bell – it is a symbol of hope."