Alder Hey Children's charity launch £2.5 million appeal to help fund neonatal intensive care unit

Former Liverpool player and pundit Jamie Carragher is supporting an appeal for a new neo-natal Intensive care unit at Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

Alder Hey Children's charity has launched a £2.5 million appeal to create a further 22 neonatal cots for Liverpool and will feature 18 individual family rooms where parents can be alongside their poorly newborns.

Jamie Carragher has backed this appeal as a long-term supporter of Alder Hey. 

Jamie, who was treated at Alder Hey's neonatal ward for the first six weeks of his life, is launching the appeal to raise £2.5m for the new Surgical NICU on behalf of Alder Hey Children's Charity.

The unit is a joint project between Alder Hey and Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust as the Liverpool Neonatal Partnership.

The unit will address a shared concern between Liverpool Women's and Alder Hey that babies who need specialist surgery currently have to be transferred to Alder Hey to get the specialist surgical care they need and are then transferred back to Liverpool Women's Hospital to continue their specialist neonatal care.

The planned facility will cost £16.5m to build with the Charity Appeal aiming to contribute £2.5m.

Jamie Carragher said: "My family and I will forever be grateful to Alder Hey after they cared for me as a baby. The plan to build a new neonatal unit sounds like a fantastic idea. It will help keep families together at such a worrying time and provide lifesaving treatment. I am proud to support this appeal and it is something we can all get behind."

Fiona Ashcroft, CEO of Alder Hey Children's Charity said: "Jamie has been a supporter of the work of the hospital for many years and is a brilliant Charity Champion for Alder Hey - we were delighted this Liverpool Legend accepted our suggestion to head the Appeal to help us spread the word in the region as well across the country.

"We can't wait to see the build start; this unit is going to be world leading!"

Specialist neonatal staff from Liverpool Women's Hospital will plan to work alongside Alder Hey at the new NICU ensuring that poorly babies are transferred between the two hospitals as little as possible.