We are listening-Baby Talk

Hello Everyone,

My name is Wendy,

I’d like to share some of the changes we are making within the Neonatal Unit at Wishaw General Hospital.

                                               NHS Scotland Photo Library

The Neonatal Unit provides expert treatment and care for babies who are ill, or who have been born prematurely. This is a complex area where specially trained staff provide around the clock care with the aid of highly specialist equipment.

It is crucial that we establish good communication with parents and families during what can be a worrying and anxious time.

It may sound like staff are speaking a different language when using medical and technical terminology. We are working hard to make sure that we provide information in a way that is easy to understand. As a result of your feedback we now invite parents to attend the ward round when the medical team is assessing your baby. This allows parents the opportunity to ask the doctors any questions they may have directly.

We have introduced a Parent Communication record. Doctors record their discussions with parents and the record is kept in the baby’s case notes. When other doctors then come to discuss care or treatment they can see what has already been discussed. This ensures consistent communication between staff and parents.

We have also introduced a Parent’s Plan for the Day as part of our nursing care plans. Parents can complete this with things that are important to them; for example, what time they will be coming to the Unit the following day to bathe and feed their baby so that if different staff are caring for their baby they know their plans for the day.

Visiting times have been reviewed and changed as a result of your feedback. We initially extended visiting hours but have recently returned to the original timings at the request of parents who felt they wanted to have more private time with their baby.

We hope that these changes will be positive for all parents who have a baby in our Unit.

If you have an experience of the Neonatal Unit you would like to share, please speak to a member of staff, respond on Patient Opinion, or visit the “Your Feedback” Section of the NHS Lanarkshire website to see the other ways to get in touch www.nhslanarkshire.org.uk.