Virtual tour lets families ‘walk round’ Bournemouth’s Neonatal Unit

A virtual tour of Neonatal Unit at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital has gone live, enabling families to ‘visit’ the ward and get a better understanding of what to expect if their child needs neonatal care.

The 3D tour is available on University Hospital Dorset’s website and can either be watched in one go or navigated at the user’s own pace. Information tags have been added to explain the different areas of the unit and the equipment used to help people familiarise themselves with the clinical area.

Specialist nurse Lucy Fairbrass said: “Our Neonatal Unit in the BEACH Building at Bournemouth is just a year old so this is a great opportunity to take a look inside and see the layout of the unit as well as hear typical sounds of the clinical environment.

“We hope the tour will help families prepare and know a little more about what to expect if their baby needs specialist care from our team in the BEACH, reducing uncertainty and supporting their wellbeing.”

You can watch the tour at www.uhd.nhs.uk/services/maternity/services/neonatal-unit

The tours can also be used by families whose children were cared for previously in the unit, and were produced in collaboration with the Thames Valley and Wessex Neonatal Partnership. Find out more at Unit Information - Neonatal Network South East

Feedback from those who have used virtual tours of the units have been really positive and include:  

“This is such a gift for future parents! Preparing yourself for NICU is so difficult when you can't go inside. I wish I'd had this before my children were there as I know it would have helped me.”

“Amazing! We just showed our son where his bed was 9 years ago! Really good for him to see.”

Lucy Fairbrass, Specialist Nurse