The campaign to expand accommodation for parents at Bradford’s neonatal intensive care unit has reached a significant milestone. Half of the £3 million target has now been raised, offering fresh momentum to a project that could transform the experience of hundreds of families each year.
Around 500 babies begin life in the neonatal unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary annually. Many need intensive or high dependency care. Their parents naturally want to remain close, yet there are only five bedrooms available at any one time. The unit itself has 14 cots for the most unwell babies. The maths has never added up for the families who often endure the longest and most anxious nights of their lives.
Dr Yousef Gargani, a consultant neonatologist, framed it simply. “We deliver excellent neonatal care, but we really want to support our families, all of our families, and give them the best accommodation.” The dream, he said, is a calm home from home environment, slightly removed from the clinical bustle, where parents can rest and gather strength.
The planned new block will add five more en suite bedrooms and provide a kitchen, a children’s play area, a prayer room and a garden. At present, only two of the existing five rooms are directly attached to the unit. The others sit elsewhere in the infirmary, which means support feels more scattered than anyone would like.
The power of the fundraising effort has been notable. The Bradford Hospitals Charity, working with The Sick Children’s Trust, has already reached halfway thanks to a £1 million donation from the Harry and Mary Foundation and a further £500,000 from parents, staff and the public. Laura Riach, from the charity, called the support a reminder of what communities can achieve when a cause “truly matters”.
Families like Mohammed Ashraf and Amra Aslam know exactly how much it matters. They spent every moment of their son Ahmad’s two week life inside the unit. Mr Ashraf said nothing else held meaning at that time. A safe and nearby space to rest, to breathe, to step outside into a garden without feeling far from their baby, would have made an enormous difference.
Staff feel the strain of limited accommodation too. Carly Burnett, who coordinates neonatal projects for the Trust, described the difficult decisions required when rooms are scarce. A family may stay for weeks, only to be moved if a more critically ill baby arrives or if another family lives further away. It causes deep emotion, she said, and underscores why the new centre is essential.
If funding continues at pace, construction could begin next year on vacant land beside the maternity unit on Smith Lane. The build is expected to take around 12 months. The finish line is in sight, but much still depends on support from across Bradford.
Almost everyone knows someone born prematurely. For families walking through the hardest days of their lives, being close to their baby is not a luxury. It is a lifeline. This campaign is about securing that closeness when it matters most.
