Neonatal care team joins charity cycle ride

On Sunday 5th July, a team from the neonatal unit at Lincoln County Hospital will join a nationwide cycling challenge, raising funds to enhance care for sick and premature babies.

Fifteen nurses and healthcare workers from Lincoln’s Maternity Unit will be riding from Lincoln County Hospital to Pilgrim Hospital, Boston, and back again covering 70 miles. Funds raised will support United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity in providing extra resources for vulnerable babies and their families. The charity cycle challenge also celebrates 50 years of the British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM).

Neonatal Unit Manager, Helen Fletcher, said: “BAPM creates the guidance and framework for neonatal care. It is the standard that United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s Maternity Services work to, ensuring we achieve the highest quality of care possible. Every neonatal unit in the country is being asked to celebrate this milestone anniversary by cycling 50 miles, one mile for each year.”

Lincoln County Hospital’s Neonatal Unit has 15 cots providing intensive care to premature and poorly babies born 27 weeks gestation and above.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity Manager, Ben Petts, said: “These tiny, fragile patients depend entirely on the expertise and dedication of this team. It is a privilege for the charity to support our neonatal colleagues.

“Over the past year we have funded equipment including a Criticool baby cooler, which protects newborns from brain damage, as well as reclining chairs which provide comfort to parents whilst they stay at the cot side of their babies. We will be cheering every team member on as they cycle between Lincoln and Boston.”

Clinical Health Care Support Worker Sally Atkinson and Neonatal Nurse Ruby Smythe are both keen cyclists and were eager to sign up to the challenge. Sally summed said: “I do hope it will be sunny! It will be hard work and a personal challenge for us all, but if we can raise money as well it will be well worth it.”

To support Sally, Helen, Ruby and the team please visit the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity website: https://www.ulhcharity.org.uk/fundraisers/nnu-cycle