Clinicians at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust are reuniting babies in its neonatal unit with families thanks to technology.

To help reduce the spread of infection during the Covid-19 pandemic, the neonatal unit at the Trust has limited visiting to parents. The team wanted to keep families connected so they are using technology to help make that happen.  

They adapted the secure NHS video calling service Attend Anywhere, usually used for pre-arranged hospital appointments, for parents and families to visit their baby virtually in the unit. The technology is also used for parents to speak to clinicians and to be kept updated with how their baby is doing.

Dr Cheentan Singh, consultant paediatrician and neonatologist at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust, said: “The bond between a newborn and their family is vital to their development and with the restrictions in place, we know that it can be really difficult for families.

“We wanted to be able to reunite families and keep them informed about their newborn’s progress. Technology has been a great way to do this and the smiles on the faces of mums, dads and siblings when they interact with their newborn mean that the effort has been worth it.”

Maria Kane, Chief Executive of North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust, said: “I’m really pleased that our neonatal team are finding innovative ways to reunite families. While our local community completely understand why we’ve had to reduce visiting arrangements at the hospital, we want to make it as easy as possible for families to be able to speak and interact with their loved ones. That’s why we’re working to introduce this across the whole hospital.”