The Little Lives Appeal aims to raise £250,000 for the Milton Keynes Hospital Neonatal Unit, which will go towards a full refurbishment and redesign of the Unit.

•  One in ten babies born at Milton Keynes Hospital requires specialist care 

•  The Little Lives Appeal is raising £250,000 to enhance and equip our Neonatal Unit to benefit babies, their families and staff

Milton Keynes Hospital’s Neonatal Unit cares for all babies that are born too early (premature) and babies that are unwell after they are born.  As one in ten babies in and around Milton Keynes is born prematurely, the Unit needs to undergo a redevelopment to meet an increasing demand for our specialist services.

In response to a need for additional cots and space, the Milton Keynes Hospital Charity launched the Little Lives Appeal in December 2007.  Thanks to the generosity of the local community, Phase One of the redevelopment commenced in June 2011.

Why have we launched the Little Lives Appeal?

Milton Keynes’ Neonatal Unit provides neonatal care in and around Milton Keynes.  The majority of babies born over 27 weeks will receive their full care, including short periods of intensive care, at Milton Keynes[1].

Every year more than 350 premature and sick babies are treated in the Neonatal Unit, which has 18 high dependency cots.  However, with greater demand for our services and an increasing population, we need an additional four cots as well as extra space to accommodate them.  These babies are particularly vulnerable, but due to lack of space and cots we have had to turn 30 babies away in the past 24 months.  This is why the Little Lives Appeal is needed.

Some of the babies admitted to the Neonatal Unit are born as early as 24 weeks old (16 weeks early) or weigh as little as 500 grams.  They need specialist care, as do their parents, who will also be vulnerable at this time.  Therefore, we will be carrying out a redesign and redevelopment of parent and family areas, including an improved area for families and a new reception area for the Unit, so it is as welcoming as possible.  All this will ensure we are providing the best possible care to families in and around Milton Keynes.

How much is required

• The Little Lives Appeal has a target of £250,000
• More than £170,000 has been raised so far through public donations which has now funded phase one of the redevelopment – focusing on cot areas and a new reception
• We now need to raise £80,000 to fund the full redevelopment, focusing on more of the cot area, parents’ area and disabled facilities.

What will the outcomes be?

The £250,000 redevelopment of the Neonatal Unit will provide:

•  Improved quiet, private areas for families and parents, including beds and a shower room - for parents who want to spend time on the Unit near to their baby and time on their own

•  Space to enable parents, doctors and nurses to work alongside each other to provide specialist and family-centred care to every baby that needs it

•  Updating of current technical setups to the latest specification to further enhance our service

•  A new reception area for the Unit

•  Improved storage facilities

Why It's So Important

Tanya Graves and Ray Graves, from Milton Keynes, are one set of parents who are extremely thankful for the care given to their daughter Amber, who was born 15 weeks early, in June 2005 weighing just 1Ib 13oz (0.830gm) and was 9 and a half inches long. Amber is now approaching her third birthday.

“Amber was born prematurely, which meant that she needed to be incubated and put on a ventilator to help her to breathe as her lungs were too small to do this by herself.  She also needed to have retinal surgery and blood transfusions.

“Thankfully, the nurses and doctors involved us in the daily care of our child as much as possible, even though our baby’s life was ultimately in their hands. It was a great relief once Amber was transferred from the intensive care area to the high dependency area, and my husband and I were told that she would definitely survive. We're so thankful for the care given to our little angel. Without the Neonatal Unit at Milton Keynes Hospital, Amber may not be with us today. The team saved our daughter’s life.”

Nickayla Beer, who spent many weeks visiting her son in the Neonatal Unit earlier in 2008, said: “Connor was born prematurely, which meant that he needed special care. The nurses and doctors were fantastic. They offered support throughout the time that Connor was in their care and they were happy to help with any concerns.”

The hospital is contributing to the redevelopment of the Neonatal Unit by providing essential equipment, the four additional cots and the staffing and running costs for the expanded Unit.

Events

Many local people choose to raise money for this good cause by organising their own fundraising events.  Details can be found on the MKFM Events pages, or by checking the Milton Keynes Hospital website here.

Donate / Contact

If you wish to make a donation you can visit www.justgiving.com/littlelivesappeal or call 01908 826690.  You can also forward cheques, made payable to Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to:

Vanessa Bootle

Milton Keynes Hospital Charity

Standing Way

Eaglestone

Milton Keynes

MK6 5LD

t 01908 826690