Lynn Slade, lead nurse for neonatal services for University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, sad the old unit was “dark” and “a lot smaller”.
“There were a lot of small rooms which meant that families couldn’t stay with their babies very easily, certainly not within the unit,” she said.
“They’d have to go off to a separate area to sleep or get some rest.”
The unit cares for babies who were born prematurely after 32 weeks of pregnancy, as well as those needing immediate care.
Louise Wardle, a senior sister at the hospital, said those born at less than 32 weeks or who needed specialist care were transferred to other hospitals, depending on what support they required.