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The Fundraising Project
The core project focus this year is to fund a specialist ventilator for the Buscot Unit at The Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading. The SLE6000 ventilator is optimised for the smallest of babies to improve outcomes.
Premature and very tiny babies will often be attached to a ventilator from the moment they are born because their lungs will not have fully developed. Many babies will remain on a ventilator for weeks, sometimes months.
Jo Hilton
Lead Nurse Paediatrics
How will this help?
Early treatment is crucial for these tiny babies to minimise risks of lung damage and other related problems. Having access to a specialist ventilator immediately after birth is vital. This also reduces the chances of the baby being transferred to another hospital, often miles from home.
The Royal Berks Hospital cares for an average of 500 babies each year, the majority of which are born to mothers from the West Berks and Reading areas. They currently need three ventilators at a cost of £34,000 each. New Life is working in partnership with BIBS and The RBH to fund one of those three ventilators.
Lead Nurse Paediatrics and Neonates, Jo Hilton, said, "This new ventilator will significantly enhance our unit's capabilities. The Royal Berkshire Hospital is in dire need of new equipment, including incubators and respiratory devices. We are immensely grateful to New Life Special Care Babies for its tremendous and ongoing support and we are delighted that SPORTathon has chosen us for their 2024 project."