A new residential bay for parents to stay in hospital with their newborn babies has been opened in memory of a newly qualified nurse.
The Lori Grace Room has launched at the Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust.
“This space will support the incredible family-integrated approach that we strive for”
Kirstie Flood
It is named in honour of Lori Robertson, a 21-year-old newly qualified children’s nurse who was due to start working at the centre in 2022 but died in a car accident before she began in post.
Following Ms Robertson’s death, her parents, Helen and Mark Robertson, decided that they would fundraise for the unit where their daughter would have started her career.
Initially setting a target of £21,000, the pair exceeded that and has raised more than £30,000.
The money has gone to the ‘more precious moments in NICU’ campaign by the NHS trust’s charity, RUHX.
Mr and Mrs Robertson contributed half of the £60,000 appeal target, with the rest coming from other supporters.
In a joint statement, they said: “We are so very proud with everything that Lori had achieved in her three years at university, and obtaining her place at the Bath [neonatal unit] as a paediatric nurse.
Lori Robertson
“We felt that there was a need to do something that would hold her memory at the unit, therefore we started the fundraising for the project to help babies and their parents.”
The Lori Grace Room allows new parents to stay overnight alongside their newborn, while the baby continues to receive clinical care from the neonatal team.
Explaining the benefits, Kirstie Flood, lead nurse at the Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care, said: “This offers a wealth of benefits for baby and parents, inclusive of improved brain development, growth and established feeding whilst giving maximum opportunity to build on the close and loving relationships, nurturing the family bond.
“This space will support the incredible family-integrated approach that we strive for and that our staff champion every single day; by working in partnership with parents to care for their baby, and in addition minimising stress and improving parental wellbeing.”
She added: “This incredible project could not have been completed without the dedicated and generous fundraising from Helen and Mark and their friends and family and we are extremely grateful.”
