Palladian Lodge Phil Burgess and Clive Edwards made a donation of £1,085 to the The Born Sleeping Appeal to help with the running of the dedicated suite in Hereford Maternity Unit.
The Born Sleeping fundraising appeal was launched in 2017, initially to build a dedicated bereavement suite within the maternity department.
The unit opened in July 2019, thankfully the appetite for giving continues as it is recognised there are other areas that could benefit were there funding available, so the ring-fenced charitable fund remains.
Items such as lanyards for mums returning to the hospital to identify them as having previously lost, thus preventing queuing and sitting in the main waiting room. So, these have been and will continue to be purchased through the fund; we supply doctors surgeries also.
The fund also provides literature for families coming in to the unit; this was a clear area for improvement we found when meeting bereavement families that they felt needed improvement. Simple information about the geographical layout of the hospital, the procedure, the aftercare etc. that was not provided. The fund has also purchased books for both adults and children addressing the subject of baby loss.
The fund has paid for and will continue to pay for training for staff. It funded the initial year of the new bereavement midwife post. This post has been an invaluable asset to the department.
The latest purchase from the charitable fund is an air conditioning unit for the Blossom Room (ensuite bedroom) as in the summer it has found to be very warm and the winter the opposite, this was previously an office.
The midwifery team manages the fund with patient representatives, a group of mums who have worked throughout with us and have now formed a Hereford SANDS group. We meet monthly to discuss the needs of the unit and receive feedback from bereaved families that have been through their service.
The things we’re looking to purchase currently;
– Additional memory making supplies, particularly casting hands and feet
– Specialist bereavement training for midwives
– Baby remembrance garden
– Air conditioning unit for the overnight room (pictures attached of the room)
