The Winnicott Foundation supports the service provided by the NHS and its skilled staff by providing additional funds for equipment, materials and training and for family support to help to improve care for premature and sick babies and their families.

Purchasing new and up-to-date equipment which, when used by skilled staff, can provide better information, improved comfort for babies, new treatments and help staff to better support babies. The Winnicott Foundation has bought ventilators, high- tech incubators, gentler forms of breathing support, eye examination equipment, cooling equipment, and brain monitors.

Supporting the practice of developmental care, which can help to reduce the difficulties faced by prematurely born children throughout their childhood, the Winnicott Foundation purchases materials to help reduce stress, noise and light and to support the practice of family-centred care. It also funds staff training, cot and incubator covers to reduce noise and light, special small, easily accessible clothing to keep babies warm and comfortable, gel pillows to support very soft skulls, comfortable reclining chairs by every cot, and items to assist skin to skin cuddles/kangaroo care (link to support for parents/skin to skin booklet and UK NIDCAP Centre/skin to skin booklet).

Supporting families so that they can spend as much time as possible with their baby promotes bonding and can help babies to get better more quickly and go home sooner. The Winnicott Foundation funds travel costs and hotel accommodation for families who live a long way from the neonatal unit or are experiencing financial difficulties with the cost of daily travel to the hospital. The charity refurbished the parent bedrooms and kitchen/sitting room at St Mary’s, providing a TV and DVD player, a computer with internet access, books and toys for siblings. The charity is also involved in the weekly parent support group at St Mary’s and provides funds both for external speakers at the monthly baby group at St Mary’s and for the weekly post-discharge baby massage and social group at St Mary’s, which all families from Queen Charlotte’s neonatal unit and the Winnicott Baby Unit are welcome to attend. Additionally, the Winnicott Foundation provides a hardship fund and funds some bereavement support.

The Winnicott Foundation supports mothers who are expressing milk and breastfeeding their babies by providing hand breast pumps to use at home, sterilising equipment for use in the neonatal unit, and training, information and materials to support staff in helping mothers to breastfeed.