FORMER cricket umpire Dickie Bird has opened Barnsley Hospital’s new neonatal unit to which he personally contributed £70,000 through the high profile Tiny Hearts appeal.
The unit, which cares for critically ill babies, was opened yesterday and Dickie cut the ribbon with hospital chairman Steve Wragg, chief executive Richard Jenkins and children who had spent time in the previous neonatal unit.
Dickie said: “I can’t believe this unit is a reality, it’s a dream come true. The Barnsley people who have made donations should feel very proud. The nurses and staff have also played a tremendous part as well, they do a wonderful job.
“It’s amazing what it has brought to the town. I’ve been up to see the little babies and I just broke down. Barnsley is my hometown and I wanted to do as much as I could for the town.”
Parents Emma and Mark Mallender, of Blacker Hill, brought along their six-year-old twins India and Lucca who were born 11 weeks early and spent ten weeks in special care.
When the Tiny Hearts Appeal was launched, the family featured in a special film with Sir Michael Parkinson and spoke movingly about the care their children received.
Emma, 32, said: “The old unit didn’t really feel like part of the hospital, it was quite old fashioned.
“This unit is a lot lighter, more spacious and more relaxing, and is more welcoming. Up until having the twins, I didn’t know about the special care baby unit. Until you need it, you don’t really hear about it.
“We’ve shown the children the video, I just had tears streaming down my face. It’s a chapter of your life that you close because if you don’t you would never move forward. Thankfully, they have no problems now.”
The new unit will provide care for babies born at 27 weeks and above. It has been relocated and redeveloped and offers a bright, welcoming and spacious environment for families and babies. It is part of the hospital’s wider refurbishment of O-Block, the oldest part of the hospital estate built in 1973.
The new unit is on the first floor of the women’s services block and has 14 cots - two intensive care, three high dependency and nine special care.
Work started on the £2.8 million unit earlier this year.
The new unit will have 34 nurses, six healthcare assistants and two housekeeping staff working with a medical team, as well as dieticians, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, and pharmacists. There are also three new ventilators at a cost of £25,000.
Chairman Steve Wragg’s son Noah, now 15, was born six weeks early. He stopped breathing three times and went into the neonatal unit.
Steve said: “It’s 15 years and seven days since Noah came out of the old unit. His mother and I wanted to find some way of giving something back. A few years after, I was lucky enough to become chairman and I created the hospital charity and then the Tiny Hearts Appeal to fundraise for this.
“I think this is my legacy to the hospital, and to the people of Barnsley. I would like to thank the people of Barnsley, who pretty much own the unit having raised £700,000.
“It’s taken us four years, and it’s been a long process, but we knew that if we carried on people would find ways week after week to raise funds for us.”
Barnsley MP Dan Jarvis added: “The generosity of the people of Barnsley has helped fund this unit which will provide outstanding service for families for years to come. I’m really proud of the work that has gone into making it happen.
“It is amazing to have this new unit, but the most important thing will be the people who go into it and what’s been really inspiring is the staff who are going to work in it and their dedication to supporting families who will come here in future.”
