A Brighton charity has presented specialist equipment for treating premature babies to the Trevor Mann Baby Unit.
Rockinghorse has given the baby unit – based at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton – a Doppler probe.
The probe will help clinicians to confirm the position of intravenous lines and check the blood flow to a baby’s limbs quickly and accurately.
The medical equipment was funded by Temple Lodge, a Brighton masonic lodge which made a donation to Rockinghorse for £2,000.
The lodge raised the money throughout the year by holding a series of fundraising events, including a festival in the Isle of Wight.
Dr Trevor Mann was the driving force behind Rockinghorse when the charity was set up in 1967.
Dr Mann and his colleagues recognised that the face of children’s healthcare was changing. Newer and more expensive technologies were being developed and staff needed new sources of funding if they were to be able to offer children the excellent standards of care that they deserved.
Thanks to the charity, Brighton was one of the first places in the country to have a ventilator designed to breathe for tiny and premature babies, who may not previously have survived.
Over the years Rockinghorse has also ensured that doctors are able to carry out pioneering research into new areas of medicine such as neonatal care and oncology.
Analiese Doctrove, Rockinghorse community fundraiser, said: “Rockinghorse and Trevor Mann Baby Unit are so very grateful to Temple Lodge for providing this invaluable piece of equipment.
“With local support, we can help to ensure that the unit continues to provide an excellent level of care to babies who are born prematurely in Brighton and beyond.”
