FAMILIES and maternity staff at Coventry’s University Hospital celebrated the first anniversary of the Neonatal Community Outreach Service (NCOS).
Parents and babies enjoyed food and activities at the birthday party for the service, which was launched to reduce the length of hospital stay for premature babies.
NCOS has allowed staff to provide regular assessments and visits in the home.
Rafferty Collett is one of the youngest babies to come through the service, who weighed just 640g when his mum Hannah gave birth after 23 weeks.
He spent 30 days in an incubator and just weeks later developed sepsis, meaning he needed six blood transfusions.
Rafferty was allowed home by Easter and now weighs 7.5kgs.
Hannah said: “There were times when we wondered if he would ever come off the ventilator, let alone be the bouncing boy he is now”.
Rafferty was supported by NCOT when he was discharged home on oxygen and the hospital staff showed his parents how to change their son when he was hooked up to a ventilator and how to tube feed.
Hannah added: “The level of care we have been given has been amazing and it was lovely to be able to take Raffy along to the party and see some of the staff again.”
Neonatal Modern Matron, Sara Wheatley said: “We have been able to do all we planned and more in this first year.
“It’s been great to see the service come to fruition thanks to the great nursing team we have.”
