Homerton, the hospital for the London 2012 Olympics, has doubled the size of its maternity and newborn centre. Homerton has invested more than £12.5m in the new centre - and a further £4.8m worth of equipment has been donated by GE, a global Olympics sponsor.

Nancy Hallett, Homerton University Hospital Chief Executive, said:
"Homerton is very proud of its great service for parents and their babies. And this wonderful Olympic gesture from GE will help us deliver even better quality care.

“The new hi-tech facilities will help all the babies born at Homerton, especially those who need special care - who knows, maybe one of them will be a medal winner in years to come and fulfil that Olympic legacy.”

Mark Elborne, President and CEO of GE in the UK said:
“As a partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and a significant UK employer, GE is committed to helping London deliver a sustainable legacy.

“We decided to make this donation to Homerton Hospital because it is one of the designated London 2012 hospitals. We chose to focus on maternal and newborn care to address a major local issue - infant mortality. We hope this will help to create a brighter future for the people of East London for generations to come.”

In addition to employing 18,000 people here in the UK, GE Healthcare’s global headquarters are based here. Working in partnership with healthcare providers GE’s goal is to reduce costs, increase access and improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare in the UK and throughout the world as part of its healthymagination initiative. The Homerton legacy donation is an example of this vision in action.

Homerton University Hospital’s new maternity and newborn centre is one of the best equipped in London. It has:

• 22 cots in a special care baby unit;
• 20 cots in a neonatal intensive care unit;
• 16 en suite birthing rooms;
• two birthing pools;
• en suite family accommodation; and
• 32 antenatal and nine post natal beds.

GE has delivered a range of equipment that will provide clinicians with some of the very latest technology to improve patient outcomes. This includes a £1m MRI scanner, new advanced technology high-resolution ultrasound units, foetal monitoring systems, neonatal x-ray units, and top-of-the-range Giraffe incubators complete with radiant warmers and phototherapy lights which help to reduce the amount of unnecessary handling of very low weight premature babies,

Said Denise Lewis OBE: “As a mother and an Olympian I think it is great news to see such an investment in the improvement of maternal and infant care in the area. This will be a great legacy for the people of East London.”

NOTES FOR EDITORS

• Journalists are invited to see the new maternity and newborn centre at Homerton. Individual visits can be arranged. Call: 020 8510 5035.
• The maternity and newborn centre was completed in September 2010.
• Pictures of the maternity and newborn centre are available on request.
• Homerton University Hospital Foundation Trust (Homerton) is in the London Borough of Hackney. Homerton provides general hospital services to Hackney and the City of London.
• Homerton provides specialist care in obstetrics, neonatology, fetal medicine, obesity surgery and neurorehabilitation across east London and beyond. Homerton’s fertility services are among the most successful in the UK.
• In 2004, Homerton was one of the first 10 NHS foundation trusts in England.
• Homerton Hospital is the 2012 London Olympics hospital. The hospital is less than two miles from the London 2012 Olympic village.
• Read more about Homerton, its new maternity and newborn centre and other services: Homerton University Hospital

About the GE equipment in the Maternity and Newborn Centre

• The UK’s market leading VOLUSON E8 obstetrics ultrasound system will help detect foetal abnormalities earlier and allow for earlier intervention.
• The Discovery 1.5T MR450 neonatal magnetic resonance system provides detailed structural and functional information about the newborn’s brain.
• The Giraffe Omnibed incubator helps to reduce the amount of unnecessary handling of very low birth weight premature babies, which can otherwise have a detrimental effect on their well being.

About GE in the UK
GE has been operating in the UK since the 1930s.  Today our 18,000 employees serve the energy, oil & gas, healthcare, aerospace, financial and media industries.  We have a strong and continuing commitment to the UK economy, having invested £13bn in our British businesses since 2001.  Our 2009 UK revenues were £4bn.  From our 60 major locations, including 25 world-class manufacturing and R&D facilities, we deliver high-tech innovative solutions to the global marketplace.  Our locations include London, Aberdeen, Amersham, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Leicester, Nailsea and Southampton.

GE and London 2012
GE is the exclusive provider of a wide range of innovative products and services that are integral to staging a successful Olympic Games. GE works closely with host countries, cities and organizing committees to provide infrastructure solutions for Olympic venues including power, lighting, water treatment, transportation and security, and to supply hospitals with ultrasound and MRI equipment to help doctors treat athletes. In addition, NBC Universal, a division of GE, is the exclusive U.S. media partner of the Olympic Games, with its partnership also extending through 2012.

About GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.

Our "healthymagination" vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality and efficiency around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a $17 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 46,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com. 

For further information contact

Nigel Watts | Head of Communications | Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Homerton Row London E9 6SR | 07826 530744 or 020 8510 5035 |

Sara Cruz, / 020 7534 0620 or 07980 646160

Paul Childs, / 020 7534 0620 or 07906 207072

Mark Maguire /  / 07717 517 071 or 020 7302 6068