A neonatal service which supports parents to care for their premature baby at home has celebrated its first year.
More than 100 parents have benefited from the guidance and care of the Neonatal Community Outreach Team (NCOT) which helps ensure a smooth transition from City Hospital, in Birmingham, back to their home, where they thrive in their own environment.
It’s estimated the service has saved over two years’ worth of cot days.
Carmen Nuttall, team leader, said: “We celebrated one year of the service being up and running and during that time have supported 116 parents to take their child home, which is absolutely amazing.
“There are many benefits of sending these babies home early. It reduces the chances of infection, encourages breastfeeding and protects the mental health of the parents.
“As a result we’ve saved over two years’ worth of cot days. We know the next year is going to be even more incredible.”
To celebrate NCOT’s first year, the team hosted a brunch for the families.
Amy, mum to baby Ellis, was one of the parents who attended. She explained: “Ellis was born at 31 weeks. We came home with the support of the NCOT team and he’s two months old now. We’re really appreciative of them as they got us home sooner than we would have if NCOT didn’t operate.
“If we were ever unsure about things, we could just send them a text and they’d come out to us at the drop of a hat – which was a confidence boost for us as first time parents.
“Nothing was too much trouble for them, and they just reassured us throughout the process that we were doing things right.”
Babies are discharged once they meet a certain criteria including weight/feeding management, nasogastric feeding, oxygen therapy or phototherapy. Once they are at home NCOT is on hand to support them throughout their journey, ensuring they visit the home one to three times a week.
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