Published on 02 October 2019
Tiny superheroes joined forces to celebrate the anniversary of a very special playgroup.
The East Kent Neonatal Units Parent Support (NUPS) group is open to all parents who have a sick or pre-term baby, and provides a safe place for them to meet other families in the same situation.
It was set up by senior neonatal nurse Louise Sanders and is run by eight nurses from the William Harvey Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, taking place once a month at the hospital in Ashford.
Senior neonatal nurse Steph Ende said: “So many parents say they don’t like going to other groups due to their child being at risk of infection, but they come to NUPS because they know everything is cleaned regularly and no one comes if they are unwell.
“It is a really valuable source of support; for example this month we had a mum who has recently found out her son is blind due to brain damage sustained when he was born.
“We were able to introduce her to another parent whose daughter was born at 23 weeks and is blind, but is now 12 and at secondary school and doing well.
“This type of connection wouldn’t be possible without our NUPS group.”
There is also a Facebook page and WhatsApp group chat for parents, and the team hope to build on the first year’s success by getting more families involved.
They also plan to raise money to buy sensory equipment to use at the group.
