A REPORT has found new babies in Colchester’s neonatal unit receive top care thanks to staff.

Inspectors from NHS England, which included a consultant and senior neonatal nurse from an acute hospital, visited Colchester General Hospital in November to interview staff, tour the unit and examine evidence about the way the neonatal unit is run.

Their final report, which has just been published, praised a range of innovations which staff have introduced to further improve care for newborns and their families.

Among these is the “first hour of care” initiative, which sees staff carry out all of the care each baby needs, such as stabilising their breathing, putting in lines for intravenous drugs and giving antibiotics, within the first hour of life before letting the baby rest, in turn improving their outcome.

There has also been a new initiative which has changed the way antibiotics are given to babies so they no longer have to leave their mother’s side.

Other initiatives include the “Little Miracles” group and Facebook page, which staff on the unit manage to provide essential support to parents and the baby passport, which puts a plan for the baby’s discharge in place as soon as they are born so staff can begin working with parents to teach them how to care for their newborn.

The hospital’s outreach team also visit families after their babies have been discharged to offer continued support and care.

The reviewers commended the teamwork shown by the 48 staff who work on the unit, as well as the strong leadership of senior staff and the “exemplary” career progression offered to those at the beginning of their working lives.

The peer review results come shortly after the neonatal unit was given an outstanding rating by the Care Quality Commission following its latest inspection.

Karen Moss, neonatal ward manager, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the results of this peer review, which are credit to the hard work and dedication our staff show to newborns and their parents every single day.

“The review team were very interested to hear about the new initiatives we have introduced and the positive impact they have had on the care we provide.

"They also commended the steps we take to support parents, which include offering them meals, 24 hour visiting and the chance to stay in one of our mother and baby rooms so that they can get used to caring for their babies before they go home.

“Despite these fantastic results, we will not become complacent and will continue to look for ways we can improve still further for the babies and families in our care.”