North Mid neonatal team announced as London Regional Winner at prestigious NHS Parliamentary Award
The Sunrise Neonatal Team at North Middlesex University Hospital has been announced as the London Regional Winner in the Future NHS category at the NHS Parliamentary Awards for their innovative work to keep families and their newborns at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
To help reduce the spread of infection at the very start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the neonatal unit at North Mid had to limited visiting to parents. The team wanted to keep families connected so used technology to help make that happen.
The team 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 be kept updated with how their baby is doing.
The Awards recognise health and care staff for their contribution to the NHS, and individuals and teams are nominated by the hospital’s local Member of Parliament. The Sunrise Neonatal Team were nominated by Bambos Charalambous, MP for Enfield, Southgate and being awarded the London Regional Winner means the team are therefore part of the shortlist for the national award.
Cheentan Singh, consultant paediatrician and neonatologist said: “The bond between a newborn and their family is vital to their development and with new visiting arrangements in place, we knew that it was going to be really difficult for families. So I’m really proud we were able to find a way to reunite families quickly and to be recognised for this is a huge boost for the team.”
Maria Kane, Chief Executive of North Middlesex University Hospital, said: “I’m thrilled that our neonatal team is the London Regional Winner for these prestigious awards. Digital innovation has played a key role in our response to the Covid-19 pandemic and it’s great that the team were able to respond so quickly to meet the needs of families in Enfield, Haringey and beyond.”
The national winners of the NHS Parliamentary Awards 2020 are due to be announced at the Palace of Westminster in July 2021. Find out more about the awards on their website.