Families who suffer the heartbreak of losing a baby at birth or a complicated birth can now spend time together in a homely, private space thanks to donations the Dudley Group NHS Charity’s Baby Bereavement Appeal.
The maternity department’s new multi-purpose room at Russells Hall Hospital is a specialised room to provide a safe space for women and their families. The room is sound proofed for privacy, it features a calming and bright visuals to provide a home away from home feel. The room include comfortable seating, a fridge, cabinets and softer furnishings.
From 2021 to 2023 the charity received incredible amount of donations from fundraisers such as Aimee Garratt who said “In June 2022 we lost our first child Ronnie Martin Gwilliams, it was a traumatic experience for me and my family, at the time the maternity department only had one bereavement suite for families in similar situations to use. On the back of such a difficult time and through the support from fantastic family, friends, my workplace and the local community we managed to raise a tremendous £25,000 for the appeal. We wanted to use these funds towards the creation of this much needed multi-purpose room.”
The appeal also received donations from other families, staff members, and local community groups such as the rotary club which all contributed to the upgrade of the room.
The multi-use room was officially opened on June 5 by Karen Kelly, chief operating officer and deputy chief executive of the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, who said: “Everyone should be proud of their commitment in achieving such a high-quality environment for all future patients to use.”
The opening of the multi-purpose room was a special afternoon, the maternity team were joined by Dudley College, previous fundraisers and the Mayor and Mayoress of Dudley, all those that attended were able to meet the staff and view the finished room.
Claire Macdiarmid director of midwifery said: “All of this would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our fundraisers and donors, I would like to extend mine and the teams heartfelt thanks to them all for making this room a reality.” The Dudley Group NHS Charity exists to enhance the wellbeing and experience of patients, staff, and the community, they solely rely on donations to carry out their work.
To donate to the baby bereavement appeal please visit Supporting the Dudley Group NHS Charity Baby Bereavement Campaign – JustGiving
