Give our tiny patients the best possible chance at life by supporting Scoo-B-Doo; Our Neonatal Fund

Each year, over 600 newborn infants need dedicated care in the Neonatal Ward at our hospitals. Our neonatal fund continues the exceptional work of our partner charity Scoo-B-Doo, who through their incredible fundraising efforts, have provided over 80% of the equipment used on the ward every day.

Giving newborns the best start in life

The first moments of a baby’s life are precious and your support can make all the difference. Every donation you choose to give helps to create a warm, safe and supportive environment for our tiniest patients and their families.

Scoo-B-Doo helps to provide state-of-the-art equipment to ensure newborns receive the highest level of care when they need it most. From high-tech incubators and brainwave monitors, cosytherm hot cots and neonatal mattresses, parent sleep areas and specialist staff training - every contribution helps create a nurturing environment for babies and their families.

Your generosity also funds specialist services, including breastfeeding advisors, patient support groups and memory-making services, ensuring both practical and emotional support.

What we help to fund

Thanks to your incredible support, donations have helped to fund much needed items including:

• Pre-term Baby Manikin
  A realistic training model designed to simulate the care and medical procedures for premature infants.
• Baby Leo Incubators
  Advanced incubators that provide a controlled and protective environment for newborns.
• Brainwave Monitor
  A device used to track and analyse neonatal brain activity, aiding in the detection of neurological conditions.
• Neonatal Mattress
  A specialised mattress designed to provide comfort, support and temperature regulation for newborns.
• Memory Making
  A service that helps families create keepsakes, such as photographs, to cherish moments with their newborns.
• Neonatal Transilluminator
  Innovative equipment that uses light to assist in locating veins and detecting abnormalities in newborns.
• Cosytherms Hot Cot
  A warming system that helps regulate an infant's body temperature in neonatal and intensive care settings.
• vCreate NICU Diaries
  A secure, digital platform that allows neonatal staff to share updates, photographs and videos with families.
• Isolette Incubators
  A type of enclosed incubator that maintains a stable environment with controlled humidity and temperature for newborns.

Ways you can support

If you would like to make a difference to our Neonatal Fund, there are a number of ways you can support:

• Make an individual donation here or by calling 0300 422 3231.
• Organise your own fundraising event and create a JustGiving page.
• Take on one of charity challenge events, visit our events page to find out more.
• Do you work for a local business that may want to nominate us for Charity of the year.
• You may also like to support by leaving a gift in your will - you can make a huge difference in supporting new lives as they enter the world. Please visit our legacy page to find out more.

Rubi and Charlie’s Story

Thanks to donations, we have funded three mobile digital x-ray machines that are used to help people with urgent medical conditions. A neonatal plate was funded specifically for this equipment to help the Neonatal Team see where to place treatment lines in premature babies in an instant.

Rubi Buckland, 22, from Cheltenham, had her baby Charlie at 28 weeks by emergency caesarean after developing preeclampsia. He weighed just 2lbs 2oz and had to be in the neonatal unit at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital for nine weeks.

“Charlie was born at 28 weeks and for the first three days, I couldn’t even hold him. He was ventilated, he had to have a blood transfusion and we didn’t know whether we were coming or going or if he was going to live.

“He had so many problems and needed to have many x-rays to make sure he was okay. We had to leave the room and wait for the results and you didn’t know whether it was going to be a good day or a bad one.

“It was so frustrating as his health would take so many steps backwards and not enough forwards and, in the end, he was in intensive care for just over a month. At one point, it felt like we were never going to get out of there.

“We finally bought Charlie home in May and we were so excited to leave the hospital but also a bit daunted as we didn’t have all of the machines and 24 hours a day support to make sure he was okay; it was just us.

“But is it amazing to have him home. The people in neonatal are just incredible, they changed our lives. I call them Charlie’s angels.”

Support for you

Having a baby on the Special Care Baby Unit can be a very challenging time emotionally and physically. A vibrant community comprised of parents and ex-patients offers support to help families during after their stay.

HOPE: Support Group for Parents
HOPE is a support group for parents of NeoNatal babies at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Having a baby on the NeoNatal Unit can be an incredibly worrying, terrifying, and stressful time for families.

HOPE was set up by a group of parents who have themselves been through life on the unit, and who are able to share knowledge based on their own experiences.

Our aim is to Help Other Parents Emotionally and provide emotional support, a listening ear, and a friendly face along with practical advice to all parents whilst they are on the unit and when they go home.

SHED: Support & Help for Every Dad
S.H.E.D aims to support and help every Dad who have experienced, or are experiencing, having their baby start its life on the neonatal unit.

There is a WhatsApp group where new dads can put questions to the group, the dads have all had children on the ward and are happy to help with concerns or questions. There are also a few charity events and some evenings out for a drink locally with other tired dads who get what you are going through on the ward and in the years after.

Our Forget-Me-Not Garden
Thanks to donations, a new, a dedicated space for anyone affected by baby loss was created. Our Forget-Me-Not Garden is a calm and welcoming space where parents, families and loved ones can go to remember the babies that they lost. This space provides a sanctuary for bereaved families and staff, with areas to sit and reflect in nature.

Our Memory Tree takes pride of place in the centre and is a lovely handmade piece of art and the brass and copper leaves are able to be personalised with your own special messages of remembrance. If you wish, you can also make a donation which will help with the costs of maintaining the garden. Once the leaf is ready, you will be able to come to the garden and see it displayed on our tree.

Each leaf will be displayed on the tree for two years and after this time, it will be gifted back for you to treasure at home.

You can find out more about dedicating a leaf on our Memory Tree here.

Aching Arms:
Aching Arms are here to help and support you when you’ve experienced the heartbreak of losing your baby, during pregnancy, at birth or soon after. They offer a beautiful comfort bear to fill your arms and a community to support you as you grieve. Each Aching Arms bear is given as a gift from one bereaved family to another, to let you know that you are not alone.

When you need us, our Supporting Arms service is here for you. The service is run by bereaved parents and gives you the opportunity to talk to someone who has an understanding of what you’re going through. If you would like to talk about your feelings, share your experience or want some advice, we can help.