The special care baby unit at Medway Maritime Hospital has spent £300,000 renovating a rare facility which helps keep mums and their poorly babies together.

The Oliver Fisher Special Care Baby Trust was able to refurbish its transitional care ward following a community fundraising appeal.

If newborns need medical assistance but do not need to be admitted to the intensive care unit, they will be looked after on the ward, where they can receive treatment from the specialist doctors from Oliver Fisher and stay alongside their mothers.

It is a rare facility to find within the NHS but Medway Maritime Hospital is lucky to have the service due to funding from the Oliver Fisher charity.

The ward opened in 2000 and in recent years it has no longer been operating to its full potential. Storage cupboards and pull-out beds that were originally installed were not suitable for women after delivery, some who have undergone surgery.

The space was minimal and did not allow mothers to move around the beds and cots easily to care for their babies.

Work has just finished after taking three months to complete.

The contractor has completely altered the layout of the existing bed spaces to make them as comfortable as possible for mothers and babies. There is also the provision of better clinical area and office area with two new bathrooms.

The unit is now able to operate at its full capacity, which is for eight babies and their mums.

The new unit was officially opened by Gillingham and Rainham MP Rehman Chishti, who raised funds for the unit by running a half marathon earlier this year.

Louise Proffitt, matron at the Oliver Fisher Neonatal Unit, said: “We are delighted that, thanks to the Oliver Fisher charity, we can continue to provide the highest level of care possible for our mothers and babies on our wonderful new transitional care facility.

“We would like to thank all our supporters for everything they do; we could not have done it without you.”