Cold cot donation allows grieving families to spend more time with loved ones

Parents and families who have suffered the tragedy of losing an infant are now able to spend more time together as a family thanks to the donation of a special ‘cold cot’.  
 
The cot, made possible thanks to a donation by national bereavement charity Abigail’s Footsteps, can be used in areas across Staffordshire Children’s Hospital at Royal Stoke including the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), High Dependency Unit (HDU) and Children’s A&E.
 
The freestanding cot is refrigerated to preserve the infant’s body, allowing parents and families more time to spend together. 
 
Bekki Bache, Clinical Nurse Specialist for Sudden Unexpected Death in Infants and Children at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) said: “The cold cot can be wheeled next to the bedside, giving parents and families the privacy, space, and time to create precious memories together and aid the grieving process.
 
“We are incredibly grateful to Abigail’s Footsteps and the family whose donation during the most horrendous of times has meant we are able to receive this cot for the benefit of local families, freeing up our own UHNM Charity’s funds to be spent on other initiatives for the benefit of bereaved parents and families.”