It’s official, 100 families now benefiting from Secure Video Messaging at RHC NNU

     

Yesterday, in the Neonatal Unit at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, parents of premature babies joined nursing staff at a special event to celebrate the 100th family using Secure Video Messaging application, vCreate.

The application allows nurses to record and send video updates to parents of premature babies, and ensures that parents of babies being cared for in the unit see their baby through personalised video updates when they are unable to be by their baby’s cot side.

Parents of babies being cared for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, who are currently registered to receive video updates, or have previously benefited from the service, attended the celebration event.

The Secure Video Messaging service was piloted at RHC NNU in April, and following positive feedback from mums and dads, was made available to all parents in May. Nurses say that vCreate has become popular among parents, with more families requesting access to on-demand video updates of their baby.

Jack Weightman and his wife Sarah were the first group of parents to receive video updates when their baby, Sophie, was admitted to the unit. Jack said: “When you have a baby in hospital stressful doesn't even begin to describe how you feel, but video always helps to provide reassurance at a difficult time.”

Dr Neil Patel, Consultant Neonatologist, at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, and event organiser, explains why the unit felt it was important to mark this milestone: “Today is a momentous day because 100 families are now benefiting from the service. Parents tell us that they love receiving videos of their baby when they are not able to be in the unit. And to have a hundred families register in six months is more than we could have ever hoped for. It is testament to the quality of the application, as well as the commitment of the nursing team who signpost parents to the service, that we have reached this epic milestone.”

Ben Moore, Founder of vCreate, said: “RHC NNU will always have a special place in our hearts because it was the first unit in the country to trial vCreate. We are incredibly grateful to Dr Patel and the nursing team for their continued commitment to the project and for ensuring that as many parents as possible in the Glasgow area and beyond have been able to benefit from the service.”

The success of the Secure Video Messaging project here at Glasgow has led to enquiries from neonatal consultants and neonatal nursing teams across the UK who are keen to start a similar video project of their own. vCreate hopes that providing parents with a video link to track their baby’s progress will become standard practice in the UK.

Ben added: “We’ve been overwhelmed with the number of hospitals that have been in touch; as more units register for the service, we get one step closer to ensuring that every parent of a premature or sick child born here in the UK can experience the joy of seeing their baby’s first moments, and can feel reassured through video updates of their child’s wellbeing.”