Tots lives in hands of 110 super nurses

Lead neonatal nurse Ian Yates, eagerly waiting for the new Women and Children’s supercentre

A TEAM of highly-trained nurses to care for Oldham’s poorliest babies is in the process of being formed.

The 110-strong team of neonatal nurses will be based at the new £44 million Women and Children’s supercentre when it opens at the Royal Oldham Hospital at the end of 2012.

And preparations are well under way to make sure everything is in place for the day the centre — home to one of one three highest level neonatal units across the region — opens.

Staff need to be at the top of their tree, and will be caring for the most premature babies and those with the most complex needs.

One of those carers is neonatal staff nurse Carly Shaw (24), who is undergoing extra training and looking forward to the challenge.

“I’m looking forward to building my skills and experience, and it will be nice to see poorly babies make the whole journey, right from coming in to going home,” she said.

“At the moment, babies who are really poorly go to another hospital then come back to us when they are a bit better.”

Oldham can currently only care for babies who need intensive care for a couple of days. If they need longer, they are transferred to hospitals in central Manchester or Salford.

Ian Yates and Lynn Bowe are beavering away behind the scenes to make sure the enormous task ahead of the opening day is completed.

Lead neonatal nurse Ian has been a children’s nurse for 22 years, the last 15 years in neonatal nursing, and Lynn is unit manager.

She has been a nurse for 33 years, and has 24 years experience in neonatal intensive care at its most skilled level.

In November, they will be joined by three neonatologists following the closure of Hope Hospital.

The pair have been liaising closely with contractors VINCI Construction UK on the layout of the building.

“They have been fantastic,” said Lynn. “We have been involved from day one, even down to the location of switches and the height of plug sockets.

“It’s really important,” added Ian. “The new unit is not just for today, but needs to meet needs for the future too.”

The maternity section of the new Women and Children’s supercentre is expected to see around 5,500 births a year.

So far this year, just over 200 babies have been given neonatal care in Oldham.

The Royal Oldham Hospital currently has 28 neonatal cots, and the new unit, which will have 37 neonatal cots, is expecting somewhere in the region of 500 admissions a year — not just from Oldham, but from across the region.

The service will also offer a neonatal outreach team, so babies can go home to their families earlier, yet still get specialist care from highly trained nurses.

Ian said: “We are laying strong foundations to build on, our staff are keen and enthusiastic, and I am confident we will offer a highly skilled, quality service to Oldham people, on their doorstep, at a level we haven’t had before.

“I am really excited about it, I believe in what we are doing, and for me is has been a privilege to be part of the process of bringing it to Oldham.”