Fundraising

To make a donation to the NICU Appeal, please click here.

Over 600 premature and sick babies are treated in our NICU every year.
NICU was originally built for 20 cots. However with an increasing demand we had to squeeze extra cots into the same space. Despite the increase, the team still had to turn away 20 requests for a cot every month as the Unit was completely full. So the L&D added an extension onto the existing unit until the new NICU is completed. The extension has given an extra 6 cots.
However to a dramatic increase in the birth rate and advances in neonatal care, we still need more cots to ensure we can treat more babies and save even more precious lives.
The L&D is committed to building a new £7 million Unit to care for the premature and sick babies born across Luton, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and beyond. The new Unit will house up to 46 cots, which will dramatically increase our capacity. It will also have some essential overnight accommodation for parents where they can be supported in preparing to care for their baby before they go home and better facilities for families.

Why isn’t the NHS paying for the new Unit? 

It is! The Hospital has been allocated £7 million for the new building and has secured funding for the increased annual running and staffing costs. We need your help to raise an extra £1.5 million so we can purchase additional equipment and comfort items for the babies and their families.

The equipment we need...

It's hard to believe but one intensive care incubator and its associated equipment costs around £90,000.
The pieces of equipment listed below are examples of what each baby needs and how much it all costs.
• Intensive Care Incubator x 3 @ £30,600 each (total cost £91,800) These specialist incubators that ensure the temperature and humidity around the baby stays constant even when nurses are treating them
• Ventilator x 3@ £20,500 each (total cost £61,500)
These machines breathe for a baby when their lungs are too weak to breathe on their own.
• Apnoea Monitors x 6 @£520 each (total cost £3,120) These monitors monitor and record a baby's breathing pattern

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit~ the facts
Neonatal Intensive Care is organised by Networks that operate regionally but are all linked into a national Network. Each network has a Lead Centre where the very highest level of Intensive Care is provided.
The L&D is the Lead Centre for Beds & Herts and is one of three Level 3 Neonatal Units in the East of England.
There are three levels of Neonatal Care -
• Intensive Care (Level 3)
• High Dependency (Level 2)
• Special Care (Level 1)
The cost of all levels of neonatal care is exceptionally high due to the specialist equipment needed and the intensive nursing requirements of each baby.
The average cost of one night's stay in NICU is £1,200 per baby.
To find out more information about specific NICU services please click here to visit the Special Baby section on the Hospital's website. 

NICU Appeal- the timings

The NICU Appeal began in early 2008 and the Hospital is currently in the planning & design stages of the new Unit.
As an interim solution, the L&D has built temporary accommodation along side the existing NICU to house an extra six cots.
Building work for the new NICU is planned to start in Summer 2009 and the Unit will be fully up and running by Autumn 2010.
Registered Charity no, 1058704