Catherine with Dr Alan Fenton and Special Care Baby Unit nursing staff
Catherine McKinnell, Member of Parliament for Newcastle North, visited the Special Care Baby Unit at the RVI on Friday (13th December) to see the work being done by the Tiny Lives charity to support the parents and staff at the unit.
Every year, 700+ premature or ill newborn babies are admitted to the hospital from across the North East and Cumbria, with up to 34 babies being looked after at any one time, many of whom spend many weeks and months on the unit.
Tiny Lives was set up to support the Newcastle Neonatal Service at the RVI by helping raise funds to buy extras not provided by the NHS.
Catherine said of the visit: ‘I am very impressed by the work of the staff at the unit and the care and attention given to the very vulnerable babies and their parents is incredible, at what can be a very difficult time.
‘Having a charity such as Tiny Lives supporting the unit is a really valuable resource and it was great to hear about their many plans for the future to help support parents and their babies at the RVI.’
Keith Nicholson, Head of Tiny Lives said of the visit: ‘We are really fortunate to have Catherine visit us and help highlight the work of the staff on the unit, and it is a real pleasure to be able to show her first hand the work funded by our many fundraisers’.