Spook-tacular Halloween for new arrivals | News

Boo-tiful new arrivals have been getting into the spirit of their first Halloween, thanks to our devoted army of knitters.

These fang-tastic hats also have a very important purpose and are part of the Trust’s bobble hat care initiative, which was previously named a finalist at the Nursing Times Awards.

Midwives from our CQC rated outstanding maternity department discovered that a number of full-term babies were being admitted to the Special Care Baby Unit as a result of becoming cold, despite the warm ward environment.

In response they created the care bundle which sees each newborn given a colour coded hat to wear straight after birth, which not only keeps them warm, but also assists midwives in making sure new mothers receive the appropriate level of support.

For example, normally a baby would receive a red hat if they are born prematurely, amber is for those who have endured a difficult labour and green for those deemed low risk.

However, to celebrate this Halloween, the hats have had a fa-boo-lous makeover to include pumpkins, witches and bats.

Amy Stubbs, Deputy Director of Midwifery and Head of Nursing Women and Children’s, says: “We continue to thank the marvellous groups of knitters, who take the time and effort to create these amazing hats for us.

“The hats have become a fundamental part of the care we give and ensure that every baby receives a warm welcome into the world.”

Royal Surrey’s maternity department is also the proud holder of the Unifcef Baby Friendly Gold Award.