I am a staff nurse working on ward 35. I have been involved with Tiny Lives Committee for 9 years
I am constantly overwhelmed at the kindness and generosity of parents, extended family and the public in general for their commitment and kindness, which is reflected, in our funding.

My specialist interest is in the area of Palliative Care. – Caring for both infants and families. Tiny Lives has enabled me to attend relevant study/courses reflected within this area. Tiny Lives also supports many of my colleagues to study within their chosen interest for example  - Surgery and the neonate. Feeding Issues and Family support.

David Milligan has been a consultant neonatal paediatrician in Newcastle since 1982. He was instrumental in bringing existing charity funds together under the care of the Community Foundation in 1994 and was chair of Tiny Lives from then until 2006.  During this time he has been delighted to see Tiny Lives grow from an amateur attempt to raise money for equipment into a professional and highly successful organisation, which is now able to fund specialist staff and researchers from endowment income.  He hopes to continue to contribute to the work of the fund for the next few years as a member of the committee.

I began supporting Tiny Lives with my husband and our children in 1996, following the death of our son, Sam who was nursed on the neonatal unit.  We were overwhelmed by Sam’s death but always recognised and remembered the incredible care he received from all the staff on the unit and the support they offered our family.

We adopted Tiny Lives as our chosen charity in memory of our son and in 2001 I was invited to become a member of the Tiny Lives committee, as a parent representative.

The charity strives to be at the forefront of new developments in neo-natal care and research and I am honoured to be involved in the careful, decision making involved in allocating funds raised to support this work.

Social Work Support

There is a social worker available on the Special Care Baby unit, who can provide emotional and practical support whilst you are visiting your baby/babies. The social worker is also able to assist with any queries regarding benefits, travelling expenses, employment issues or difficulties with childcare. Or any other social issue you may need help with.

Hello.   I am the Matron for Neonatal & Postnatal services at the Royal Victoria Infirmary.  I qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1984 and as a midwife in 1986.   I worked as a midwife between 1986 and 1992 in both Gibraltar and Germany.   I mainly cared for forces wives and my role during that period was in the community.

In 1992 I moved back to England where I worked initially as a midwife until I went into the field of Neonatal nursing in 1993.  I joined the team at the RVI in 1996 initially as a staff nurse providing care to the mother and her baby.   I have experience working in all areas offering neonatal care.

I progressed through my career within the neonatal unit and was appointed to the Matron post in 2004.   This is an extremely busy role managing a team of approximately 120 nurses within the neonatal unit and 55 midwives on the postnatal wards.

I am very closely involved in the day to day running of the areas that I am responsible for.   As the Matron I ensure the highest standards of clinical care by providing management and leadership to the staff providing direct care within the neonatal and postnatal wards.

I am responsible for ensuring that staff are trained to provide the best possible care to the baby and its family.  
I support the Senior Nurses to ensure the highest standards of care are delivered.   I also contribute to the corporate nursing and midwifery agenda.  

I am involved in developing guidelines within my area of expertise and I offer professional advice to Head of Midwifery, Head of Nursing, Patient Services Director and Head of Department. 

I much prefer to be working clinically however my role does not always allow this therefore I ensure that I am accessible to all families should they wish to discuss any concerns that they have.

I have been in nursing for 27 years and I am as passionate now as I was when I first walked onto a ward in July 1981 as a student nurse.

I am vice chairperson of Tiny Lives.   I am very grateful for all the generous donations that have allowed us to provide extra comforts for parents and better equipment for babies.   The generous funds also help support training and education for nursing staff which in turn improves the care within the service.