Charitable donations help fund items for Glangwili Hospital’s new Special Care Baby Unit

Hywel Dda Health Charities has funded over £30,000 worth of items and equipment for the new Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) in Glangwili Hospital.

The new unit, which officially opened in January this year, cares for some of the most vulnerable newborn babies and serves families across mid and west Wales.

The state-of-the-art unit has been purpose built to meet the needs of new-born babies and their families, as well as the neonatal team who cares for them.

Karen Jones, Senior Nurse Neonates, said: “We would like to thank families who have kindly donated money to enable us to purchase medical equipment, your generosity is much appreciated.”

Charitable donations have helped purchase a range of items for the unit which includes specialist equipment such as oxygen analysers and a monitor to assist with monitoring brain activity.

The oxygen analysers give accurate information on the percentage of oxygen being given to babies requiring respiratory support and will assist with the process of weaning premature babies off oxygen, so they can breathe unaided.

The cerebral function monitor (CFM), worth over £14,000, is a bedside monitor which records brain activity continuously, helping to show if a baby is experiencing abnormal electrical activity such as seizures.

In addition, the charity has funded items that aim to make the family’s time at the unit as comfortable as possible with the aim of improving their overall experience of the SCBU.

Charitable funds have been used to purchase items for the quiet room to ensure the room is comfortable and homely. It has also been used to purchase items for the family sitting room.

Other items include new ‘care packs,’ which include a variety of items such as hats, toiletries, reusable water bottles and coffee cups, and bonding squares for mothers, fathers and babies.

Nicola Llewelyn, Head of Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “The support of our local communities enables us to provide services over and above what the NHS can provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive.”