Physical Health United Kingdom Project #30686

Providing life-saving machines for heart babies

by Tiny Tickers

Providing life-saving machines for heart babies

Project Report | May 25, 2023
489 machines and counting!

By Katie Lawson | Head of Fundraising & Comms

About our work

Our project to fund pulse oximetry machines has been one of our main areas of work over the past few years. When we placed our first pulse oximetry machine at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in 2017, we set ourselves a target of placing 330 machines nationwide by April 2022.

We're very proud to announce that we've smashed that target, having now placed 489 pulse oximetry machines in maternity units across the UK! We have no intention of slowing down or stopping. Quite the opposite – more and more hospitals are applying for machines and we intend to keep fulfilling these orders, until there is no more postcode lottery and every newborn baby receives the test that could help save their life.

At present, pulse oximetry testing is not a mandatory newborn test within NHS hospitals, and many maternity units do not have the means to introduce these life-saving machines. For these reasons, Tiny Tickers is providing pulse oximetry testing kits in maternity units across the UK which can then be used as part of standard newborn tests.

Thank you for your support. You are helping to make this vision a reality,

From all at Tiny Tickers

489 graphic

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Jan 26, 2023
Thank you for your support

By Katie Lawson | Head of Fundraising & Comms

In memory of Tommy

This month we have been taking time to remember little Tommy - his legacy is helping babies and families up and down the country to benefit from the test that could save their life.

Tommy, was one of the 1000 newborn babies who leaves hospital every year with their heart defects undetected. Tommy tragically passed away at 11 days old and we have dedicated our pulse oximetry campaigning to his memory. Mum, Natasha says: “We now know that Tommy had a congenital heart defect that could be corrected with surgery. If only his condition had been detected, he could be alive today.”

Your support has helped us to placed 453 pulse oximetry machines in memory of little Tommy across the UK, including 72 in Scotland, 41 in the North West of England and 46 in Yorkshire. Those machines will undoubtedly save lives. Not every newborn with heart problems is born displaying symptoms, and these machines will mean fewer babies will leave hospital with undetected – and potentially life-threatening – defects.

When Tommy was born, nobody was aware that he had a serious heart defect. His parents knew something wasn't right, but despite voicing their concerns a number of times. Had Tommy's heart condition, transposition of the great arteries (TGA), been detected during Natasha's pregnancy or before he was discharged from hospital, he could have had surgery - surgery that has a 99% success rate.

Natasha and Andy have worked tirelessly to ensure no other parent faces a loss like theirs. With their support, we launched our Test for Tommy campaign in 2018. Named in memory of Tommy, through the campaign we aim to place pulse oximetry machines in all UK maternity units - so every baby gets the test that could help save their life.

Thank you for supporting us, and helping to remember Tommy.

Jon, Aimee, Gaynor, Katie, Carly, Kym, Nicola, Vicky and Anne

Team Tiny Tickers

E: fundraising@tinytickers.org

Test for Tommy - help every tiny ticker

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Sep 29, 2022
Happy World Heart Day

By Aimee Foster | Fundraising & Communications, Tiny Tickers

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