Whispering a comforting goodnight to tiny babies

Just one of the many ways our incredible supporters have helped Evelina London to continue providing phenomenal care during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

When premature babies like Gracie are in hospital, their parents understandably want to be constantly by their side. But, with visits being restricted to protect vulnerable patients during COVID-19 pandemic, this has not been as easy.   

But thanks to our family of amazing supporters, we have been able to fund an innovative video messaging app, V-Create, which enables worried parents like Lucy to feel closer to their new-borns despite not being at the hospital.  

With the new V-Create app, mums and dads and brothers and sisters, and not to forget nanas and grandpas, can tell a soothing bedtime story to babies in their incubator. And the thoughtful Evelina London team can send reassuring updates and photos.  

“When I saw a picture of her asleep and settled it just gave me the reassurance to kind of go back to sleep and think: ‘okay she’s okay and I’ll go and see her in the morning’,” recalls Gracie’s mum, Lucy. 

The app has been vital for the Evelina London Team on the neonatal ward, who are devoted to providing compassionate care to babies and their families, whatever the challenges they face.  

“We support parents to be with their babies on the neonatal unit as much as possible, and have accommodation near the unit for parents who live further away, as many of our families come from across the South East,” says Elaine Wood, neonatal sister at Evelina London.  

“However, we know it can be challenging for parents to stay with their babies all the time, and this can cause a lot of anxiety and stress.  

“When a baby is admitted to our unit, we sign the family up to V-Create. The app has been vital in helping families feel closely connected to their loved ones during these difficult times.”