• New app launched at Royal Bolton Hospital to keep parents updated on baby’s care in Neonatal Unit
• vCreate NICU Diaries enables nursing team to share video and photo updates
• Platform available in multiple languages and auto-translates messages

A new app has gone live at Royal Bolton Hospital’s Neonatal Unit that will keep parents updated and involved in their baby’s care.

vCreate NICU Diaries enables the hospital’s nursing teams to reassure parents with positive video and photo updates by capturing precious milestone moments to keep forever.

Parents and families able to view updates through the vCreate app whenever they are unable to be on the unit, and they can also ask questions and get important updates about their baby’s progress.

One parent, who has already been able to use the app, provided feedback to say: “It gives us comfort receiving updates about our baby when we can’t be with them, especially overnight.”

When a new update is available, an email or SMS is sent to the family inviting them to securely log in and view the videos, photos and messages.

Janet Cotton, Director of Midwifery at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said:

We want to do everything we can, at every step, to make sure families have the reassurance they need when their baby is receiving care on our Neonatal Unit.

“vCreate is a fantastic way of keeping our parents updated and involved in their baby’s care, creating stronger connections between parent and baby.

“This is a very important step in the provision of Family Integrated Care, which will have a positive impact on the parents’ experience when their baby is in our Neonatal Unit.

The app provides a multi-language feature and auto-translates messages to and from families to improve communication and improve access to care.