£2.5m charity appeal launched by Jamie Carragher for new neonatal ICU at Alder Hey

Picture – Gareth Jones

Jamie Carragher is backing a new fundraising appeal for a brand new, state of art Surgical Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool, UK.

Jamie, who was treated at Alder Hey’s neonatal ward for the first six weeks of his life, is launching the appeal to raise £2.5m for the new Surgical NICU on behalf of Alder Hey Children’s Charity.

The new Surgical NICU is a joint project between Alder Hey and Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust as the Liverpool Neonatal Partnership. 

Subject to planning permission, the new unit will result in a further 22 neonatal cots for Liverpool and will feature 18 individual family rooms where parents can be alongside their poorly new-borns whilst they’re receiving expert care.

The unit will address a shared concern between Liverpool Women’s and Alder Hey that babies who need specialist surgery currently have to be transferred to Alder Hey to get the specialist surgical care they need and are then transferred back to Liverpool Women’s Hospital to continue their specialist neonatal care.

The planned facility will cost £16.5m to build with the Charity Appeal aiming to contribute £2.5m.

Charity funding will provide ‘over and above’ enhancements and equipment for both the clinical space and family areas, elevating it from a facility that provides families with a safe and secure environment for them and their new-borns, to a truly world-class facility that wraps-around families with the most vulnerable babies in the region.

Jamie Carragher said:

“My family and I will forever be grateful to Alder Hey after they cared for me as a baby. The plan to build a new neonatal unit sounds like a fantastic idea. It will help keep families together at such a worrying time and provide lifesaving treatment. I am proud to support this appeal and it is something we can all get behind.”

Fiona Ashcroft, CEO of Alder Hey Children’s Charity said:

“Jamie has been a supporter of the work of the hospital for many years and is a brilliant Charity Champion for Alder Hey – we were delighted this Liverpool Legend accepted our suggestion to head the Appeal to help us spread the word in the region as well across the country. We can’t wait to see the build start; this unit is going to be world leading!”

Specialist neonatal staff from Liverpool Women’s Hospital will plan to work alongside Alder Hey at the new NICU ensuring that poorly babies are transferred between the two hospitals as little as possible.

Central to the new unit will be the use of new innovative technology.  This will continue to include Telehealth Medicine Robots currently being used which allow clinicians to monitor and see babies remotely.  There are further technologies being worked through currently to support the vision of a silent NICU including Neonatal Tracking; a wearable device worn around a parents wrist which send signals to receivers around the hospital and allow staff to know where the parent is in case of an emergency and also virtual monitoring of babies, allowing doctors and nurses to have access to have constant sight on the babies and their vital signs, whilst still providing the family with the safety and privacy of a cubicle.

Planning permission is to be submitted at the end of September 2021.

You can donate at www.alderheycharity.org