The appeal aims to secure a further year’s subscription to the hospital’s vCreate NICU Diaries service, a secure video messaging platform that enables parents and loved ones to receive regular updates, photographs and videos when they are unable to be at their baby’s bedside.
For families experiencing the challenges of neonatal care, periods of separation can be incredibly difficult. The vCreate system, which costs £3,500 a year, helps bridge that gap by allowing staff to share precious moments, milestones and updates, helping parents feel involved in their baby’s journey wherever they are.
Bethia Morris, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Ward Manager, shared: “VCreate is something we chose to have on NICU because it was implemented during COVID-19. It has become really embedded in our unit and our day-to-day practice. It’s a really safe and secure way of connecting families with their babies. We can send families video updates and photos of their babies while they’re on the unit.”
Funds raised through the Never Far Away appeal will help ensure the service can continue supporting families whose babies require specialist neonatal care at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn.
The platform also enables siblings, grandparents and wider family members to remain connected, while providing educational resources and personalised communication between parents and the neonatal team. Features such as multilingual messaging and downloadable keepsake videos and photographs further enhance the support available to families during a critical and often stressful time.
The service has become an important part of family-integrated care on the unit, helping to reduce separation anxiety and strengthen the bond between babies and their loved ones.
The Never Far Away appeal has already touched the hearts of many families who have experienced neonatal care first-hand.
Laura Cooper, a previous vCreate user, shared her experience: “We were introduced to vCreate as soon as Rosie was born. She was born at 25 weeks, and we immediately knew we would be in for the long haul, approximately three to four months on NICU. It was important we were introduced to it very early on because whilst I needed to rest and recuperate, I had that peace of mind that I could go and do so and still be updated and kept in the loop. It really is hour by hour instead of day by day and it’s really lovely.”
“It’s become a part of our morning routine. When you get sent messages from vCreate, you get an email notification, and our children would ask first thing in the morning ‘have we heard anything from Rosie today?’ We’d open up the message together; everyone would gather round and have a look at what Rosie’s been doing overnight. Even if it’s just a little photo of her saying ‘good morning, everybody’ or ‘goodnight, everybody’, it kept everyone involved and not feeling left out.”
Members of the public can support the appeal by making a donation through the QEHKL Charity. Every contribution will help ensure families of babies receiving neonatal care can remain connected, informed and supported throughout their journey. To make a donation online, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/qehkl-never-far-away
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Notes to editors;
If you would like to raise funds for good causes or help an appeal at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, please take a look at our website www.qehklcharity.co.uk. Alternatively, please email our Charity team at Charity@qehkl.nhs.uk or call 01553 613309.
To download the full media release please click here.
For media enquiries only, please contact Communications Team, media.enquiries@qehkl.nhs.uk or 01553 613216.
For all other enquiries, please contact QEH Switchboard on 01553 613613.
About QEHKL Charity: QEHKL Charity plays a vital role in supporting The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn. The charity raises funds for medical equipment, research, services, and facilities that directly benefit patients and their families. With its support, QEHKL can provide high-quality care, expand services, and improve the hospital experience for those in need.
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