Baby care unit reopens at Royal Stoke University Hospital

The unit was officially reopened by new mum Georgia, 21, and her baby Alijah

A maternity unit has reopened at the Royal Royal Stoke University Hospital after a recruitment drive.

The department specialises in providing care for babies who require additional monitoring but do not need the level of care offered in a neonatal unit.

It was forced to shut at the beginning of the year due to staffing pressures, but the hospital trust said it had recruited a new team.

It has 10 beds and caters for tube feeding and antibiotic therapy.

University Hospitals North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) said it would mean mothers and babies who would otherwise need to be separated to provide the level of care could stay together.

Having the unit open again means mothers and babies can remain together

"It's been a long time in the making, with a lot of work going on behind the scenes," said Katy Edwards, matron for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

"It's all about keeping mothers and babies together and enhancing family experiences."

The unit was officially reopened on World Prematurity Day, 17 November, by new mum Georgia from Sneyd Green.

The 21-year-old gave birth to son Alijah at 35 weeks and said she would have been separated from her baby had the unit not been available.

"Having this available to us means we are kept together which is so important," she said.