The neonatal unit at Leicester Royal Infirmary is about to undergo a major redevelopment, funded by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. This exciting new development will enable them to treat premature babies in better surroundings than is possible now, but there are things that they want to do that they know they cannot do without additional support. This fundraising slideshow, produced by sounddelivery, is aimed to help the Trust create the new neonatal unit the best in the country.

There have been huge advances in treatment for babies born prematurely over the last twenty years. Survival rates for premature babies have improved significantly, and the treatment now provided allows staff at the hospital to manage critically ill babies with a greater chance of success than was possible before.

The Trust wants to do much more to help parents in this situation. They want to provide better support for parents – a comfortable room where they can be on the unit, perhaps talking to other parents in the same situation, while the doctors and nurses are caring for their babies. A separate room where parents and doctors can talk in private when there is bad news. And they also want to provide bedrooms in the same building – sometimes parents have travelled long distances when their baby is admitted to the neonatal unit, and going home is not an option.

In the UK, one in every ten babies born needs neonatal treatment. In Leicester they admit more than 600 babies to the unit every year, and the number is growing. Some stay for a few days, others for weeks or even months.

The aim of this slideshow is to highlight the role of the unit to raise awareness and most importantly funds so that they can invest in new state-of-the-art cots designed for premature babies needing to undergo complex medical procedures.