Special 'sleeping bags' allow jaundiced babies to be treated at home

Newborn babies with jaundice can now be treated at home in a special "sleeping bag" that emits therapeutic light.

The equipment allows babies who meet the clinical criteria to receive phototherapy without having to stay in hospital.

About six in 10 newborns are affected by neonatal jaundice and often need several days of phototherapy treatment.

The Hospital at Home service was launched by the neonatal unit at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow on 24 November. Up to 8 January, 40 babies have been treated at home using the sleeping bag.

As part of the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) service, a neonatal senior nurse visits each family at home every day to check the baby's bilirubin levels, assess progress and determine whether treatment should continue.

If the families have any questions at other times, someone NHSGGC is available over the phone.

Alicia Hardie, whose daughter Cora Donohue was born three weeks early on Christmas Eve, has welcomed the service.

Alicia, from Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire, said: "I gave birth at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and had lost a lot of blood, so I needed to stay in for a few days afterwards.

"We were all packed up and ready to go home when Cora's blood test showed she needed light therapy for jaundice. At that point, we didn't know the Hospital at Home service existed, so we stayed in for another few days.

"We finally got home on 30 December but at Cora's next blood test her jaundice levels were still high, and she needed the lights again, so back to hospital we went."

Alicia and her partner Mark Donohue had the equipment within a couple of hours of finding out about the Hospital at Home service.

"After an early birth and the back and forth for blood tests, it was exactly what we needed," Alicia said. "We could finally relax at home and start our new life together.

"Kerry (the senior nurse) 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's doing brilliantly now."

The dedicated team delivering the initiative is made up of four neonatal Hospital at Home senior nurses, four consultants and a service improvement manager.

They currently have six units and treatment length varies from two to eight days, but is dependent on individual results from each baby.

NHSGGC neonatal Hospital at Home senior nurse Kayleigh Cunningham said: "Hospital at Home helps us treat babies who may develop jaundice symptoms around 72 hours after birth, as this can happen often.

"If a mum and baby have already gone home, they would traditionally need to return for a hospital stay.

"This can be upsetting when families have just begun settling into life at home."

Lesley Jackson, consultant neonatologist, told the BBC's Radio Scotland Breakfast programme the equipment had been "life changing" for families.

"It's like a groovy sleeping bag that the baby slips into and gets the treatment at home," she said.

She added that using the sleeping bags at home also helped families to bond with their newborns.

"They are very special days and to be able to do that in the comfort of your own home is profound," she said. "We feel quite deeply privileged to be able to support families to do this."

Lynsey Hill, neonatal Hospital at Home senior nurse, added: "It's much more relaxed and family-friendly being at home, with their own surroundings, own environment and their own support system.

"It's definitely less stressful for the parents. The feedback has been amazing."

The programme was designed and developed by the hospital's neonatal team following a successful three-month pilot in 2024.

NHSGGC said its community midwives would continue to screen for jaundice during routine home visits, ensuring eligible babies can be referred swiftly to the new service.