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<\/p>\nA new Hospital at Home service using sleeping bag-style garments will allow babies with jaundice to be treated at home.<\/p>\n
(Image: PA)<\/p>\n
Special sleeping bag-style garments will allow newborn babies with jaundice to be treated at home. A new Hospital at Home service has been launched by the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow<\/a> and it allows newborns to be treated safely and comfortably in their own surroundings.<\/p>\n The service enables babies who meet the clinical criteria to receive phototherapy using the garment, which emits therapeutic blue light. Around six in 10 newborns are affected by neonatal jaundice and they often need several days of phototherapy treatment.<\/p>\n Traditionally mothers and babies would need to return to hospital<\/a> for treatment, which can be disruptive when they are just settling into a routine at home. Alicia Hardie, whose daughter Cora Donohue was born three weeks early on Christmas<\/a> Eve, is one mother who has welcomed the service, along with her partner Mark Donohue.<\/p>\n Miss Hardie, from Kilbarchan, said: \u201cI gave birth at the Royal Alexandra Hospital<\/a> and had lost a lot of blood, so I needed to stay in for a few days afterwards.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were all packed up and ready to go home when Cora\u2019s blood test showed she needed light therapy for jaundice. At that point, we didn\u2019t know the Hospital<\/a> at Home service existed, so we stayed in for another few days.<\/p>\n \u201cWe finally got home on December 30, but at Cora\u2019s next blood test her jaundice levels were still high, and she needed the lights again, so back to hospital<\/a> we went. It was during that stay that the team told us about the Hospital at Home equipment.<\/p>\n (Image: PA)<\/p>\n \u201cWithin two hours of learning about it, senior nurse Kerry was giving us everything we needed. After an early birth and the back and forth for blood tests, it was exactly what we needed. We could finally relax at home and start our new life together.<\/p>\n \u201cKerry was so supportive, and the equipment was incredibly easy to use. After just two days using the suit at home, Cora passed her blood test and she\u2019s doing brilliantly now.\u201d<\/p>\n As part of the service, a neonatal senior nurse visits each family at home every day to check the baby\u2019s bilirubin levels, assess progress, and determine whether treatment should continue. If the families have any questions at other times, someone is available over the phone.<\/p>\n (Image: PA)<\/p>\n The service started work on November 24 last year and as, of January 8, 40 have received jaundice treatment at home.<\/p>\n The dedicated team delivering the initiative comprises four neonatal Hospital<\/a> at Home senior nurses, four consultants and a service improvement manager.<\/p>\n They currently have six units and treatment length varies from two to eight days, but is dependent on individual results from each baby.<\/p>\n (Image: PA)<\/p>\n NHS<\/a> Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) neonatal Hospital at Home senior nurse Kayleigh Cunningham said: \u201cHospital at Home helps us treat babies who may develop jaundice symptoms around 72 hours after birth, as this can happen often.<\/p>\n \u201cIf a mum and baby have already gone home, they would traditionally need to return for a hospital<\/a> stay. This can be upsetting when families have just begun settling into life at home.\u201d<\/p>\n The programme was designed and developed by the hospital\u2019s neonatal team following a successful three-month pilot in 2024.<\/p>\n NHS<\/a>GGC said its community midwives will continue to screen for jaundice during routine home visits, ensuring eligible babies can be referred swiftly to the new service.<\/p>\n Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!<\/p>\n Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.<\/p>\n You’ll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.<\/p>\n No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768199055_282_0_Royal-Hospital-for-Children-launches-Neonatal-Hospital-at-Home-service.jpg\")
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