Following a fundraising drive, the new high dependency nursery at Medway Maritime Hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit was officially opened this week.

Work began in March to replace essential equipment and improve facilities in the nursery such as electrics and flooring, and the new nursery was opened by Medway Mayor Cllr Barry Kemp on Tuesday.

The upgraded nursery will be able to care for up to eight babies at a time. The refit was partly funded by the Hippo Appeal which was launched in 2014 to raise £100,000.

Dr Aung Soe , speciality lead for children and consultant neonatologist, said: “Before the work was carried out, we were unable to accommodate our full capacity within the HDU.

“But now with new equipment and technology, we have a purpose-built, fully equipped, state of the art HDU. The money raised by the charity has allowed us to purchase up-to-date equipment and furnishing to provide the highest standard of care to the eight babies and their families."

In total, the Oliver Fisher Neonatal Unit has 36 cot spaces across four nurseries - intensive care, high dependency, special care and transitional care – and looks after more than 1,000 sick and premature babies each year.

The opening was attended by the new chief executive Lesley Dwyer, who started hew new job on Monday.

Ms Dwyer moved to Medway from West Moreton Hospital and Health Service in Queensland, Australia, which she turned from a poorly performing service into one of the best. Originally a nurse and midwife, she has more than 30 years’ experience in public health at senior levels.

Cllr Kemp cut the ribbon, watched by guests, staff and supporters of the Oliver Fisher Special Care Baby Trust, which led the fundraising campaign.

Cllr Kemp said: “It is a huge privilege to be celebrating one of the real success stories of Medway. It is great to see the work of the dedicated staff who make such an impact on people’s lives.”

The Oliver Fisher unit, which is 30 years old this year, cares for babies from 23 weeks gestation.

Chairman of the Medway NHS Foundation Trust Shena Winning said: “A huge thank you must go to the Oliver Fisher Special Care Baby Trust for raising the money for this refurbishment and supporting us in the development of a genuine, state of the art special care baby unit.

"The Oliver Fisher unit is a true exemplar in our organisation and I’d like to say thank you to all of the staff here for their commitment and hard work.”