Charity helps provide sanctuary for delivery suite staff

Midwives and other delivery suite staff working at the Royal Preston Hospital’s Sharoe Green Maternity Unit now have a new “sanctuary” where they can re-charge while on shift after charity Baby Beat spent £17,138 refurbishing their break room.
By Julie FranklandContributor
Published 30th Jan 2024, 16:22 BST
Delivery Suite Manager Hannah Mercer (left), who approached Baby Beat for help to refurbish the suitDelivery Suite Manager Hannah Mercer (left), who approached Baby Beat for help to refurbish the suit
Delivery Suite Manager Hannah Mercer (left), who approached Baby Beat for help to refurbish the suit

Delivery Suite Manager Hannah Mercer requested Baby Beat’s help to create a cocooning environment to promote staff health, safety and well-being. Hannah explained: “Our maternity team includes obstetricians, midwives, maternity support workers and clerical staff.“They can work under incredible strain over a 24-hour period, covering long days and nights. It is important they remain empowered to provide the safest, most compassionate care to our patients. In order to promote staff health and wellbeing and the engagement necessary for them to perform their roles to the highest level, they need to take allocated breaks in an environment that is supportive to their needs, comfortable and inviting – a sanctuary to relieve stress, wind down and recharge.”Baby Beat’s refurbishment of the suite’s staff break room has included the creation of a separate zone for making and eating meals as well as a relaxation and rest area. Its calming décor is designed to give staff respite from their demanding roles while new furniture has been installed to improve comfort.Dan Hill, who is head of charity for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It is generally acknowledged that its staff are the NHS’s greatest and most valuable asset. We are therefore delighted that through Baby Beat, we are able to have undertaken this project for delivery suite staff. We are confident patients will reap the rewards of being looked after by a team that is itself made stronger and more resilient by a break-out area that enables members to recharge more effectively.”Baby Beat is part of the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity family. It funds specialist equipment, patient services and comforts, clinical care, local research, additional training and staff welfare projects so that the maternity and gynaecology teams can offer the best possible outcomes for babies and mums in the Central Lancashire and Chorley area. With Baby Beat’s support, NICU continues to provide exceptional care for premature and sick babies and their families from across Lancashire and South Cumbria. For further information on its work and how to support, visit www.babybeat.org.uk

Related topics:MidwivesNHS