Music therapy for premature babies at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital

Luton Council and the hospital's Charitable Fund provided the funding for the project
By Alex Ross
Published 25th Nov 2020, 13:59 BST
Updated 25th Nov 2020, 14:06 BST
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Music therapy is now being used to enhance care for premature babies at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.

The project was launched in the summer with the introduction of 11 pods and speakers on to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital (L&D), and has proved so successful that funding for a further 24 sets has recently been obtained so that it can be rolled out to all babies on the unit over the next few months.

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The music therapy at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is delivered by via ipod and a Bluetooth speaker which is placed inside the baby’s incubator or cot with tailor made music for premature babies.

One week old Mally, born at 26 weeks, in the NICU at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, listening to specially composed music via a Bluetooth speaker placed in his incubatorOne week old Mally, born at 26 weeks, in the NICU at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, listening to specially composed music via a Bluetooth speaker placed in his incubator
One week old Mally, born at 26 weeks, in the NICU at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, listening to specially composed music via a Bluetooth speaker placed in his incubator

Six of the pods and speakers were funded by Luton Council’s ‘Talking Takes Off’ initiative, which is aimed at improving speech and communication in children and special care. The Hospital Charity provided the remainder of the funding.

Neonatologist Lisa Selkirk led the project, she said: “We are extremely grateful to Luton Council, and to the hospital Charitable Fund, for allowing us to introduce music therapy to our unit.

"It is a great way of enhancing care for our babies, by reducing their stress and helping them to sleep, all of which helps in their development.”

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Cllr Mahmood Hussain, portfolio holder for children’s health and wellbeing, said: “We now know that evidence points to the importance of music for soothing neonatal babies and supporting their brain development.

"For this reason it seemed important that our Talking Takes Off initiative which sits within our Flying Start programme and was funded by a government grant, provided a contribution to the Neonatal Unit music therapy project, supporting the communication and later speech skills of our youngest children.

"We are delighted that this project has been such a positive and beneficial programme.”

The therapy has been well received by parents on the unit. Baby Rayan was on the unit recently and his mother, Zoheen Hussain, said: “I am very thankful and appreciate the baby music. Rayan really enjoys listening and it keeps him very calm."