Infant Journal
for neonatal and paediatric healthcare professionals

Refurbished NICU opens at QEH

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), King’s Lynn, now boasts a refurbished and modern neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in line with the latest standards of patient care.

The reopening of the NICU follows the opening of the hospital’s new maternity ward and includes improved fire safety, a new ventilation system and air conditioning. Importantly, the project included vital work to put necessary fail safes in place in the unit, as part of the organisation’s rolling programme of work to maximise safety in deteriorating RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) areas.

Amanda Price-Davey, Head of Nursing and Midwifery for the division of Women and Children at QEH, says: “We’re delighted that our new NICU meets the latest standards of patient care, and the work to install fail safes in the unit is obviously a vital element to maximising safety across the hospital.

“There are some significant benefits for our parents and babies too, including wider access to allow new mothers who are not well enough to easily mobilise to come across to the unit on their hospital bed, to spend time with their baby.

“The unit also includes updated space for families, including a family room with new kitchen facilities, alongside two overnight rooms with refurbished shower rooms. New toilet facilities for staff also formed part of the refurbishment, alongside better and more energy-efficient lighting, which help to give the unit a new and more welcoming feel.”

The refurbished NICU meets the latest standards of patient care and has a more welcoming feel.