A BARRHEAD mum with a severely ill child has thanked a specialist hospital team who have made sure he gets the vital nutrients he needs.

Three-year-old Cole Smith was born with a condition called VACTERL Syndrome, which refers to several birth defects which frequently occur in conjunction with one another.

The letters stand for the areas of the body affected by the illness, which are the vertebrae, anus, cardiac, tracheo-esophageal, renal (or kidneys) and limbs.

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Due to his condition, Cole needs specialised care – and staff working at the Special Feeds Unit, nestled in between the Royal Hospital for Children and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, in Glasgow, have been helping to ensure he gets all the nutrients he requires.

The team there prepare individual milk-based feeds for up to 80 patients a day who have a range of complex needs.

Staff can modify ingredients such as protein and vitamins to ensure the specific needs of the patient are met.

Cole’s mum Jade said she has been grateful for the support offered by the staff.

She told the Barrhead News: “The team here is great and they have basically fed Cole since he was born.

“As well as delivering specially-made feeds to the ward, they have also shown me how to do this and ‘trained’ me to do it at home. This gave me a lot of confidence, as it’s a worry taking a very sick child home.

“They are always there to help, even when I am at home with Cole. It’s great to know they are always there for us. I really appreciate everything they have done for Cole.”

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The unit is the largest in Scotland and sees staff prepare as many as 500 bottles a day, with some feeds having up to eight products in them.

The feeds store room contains around 60 different types of formula, as well as a vast array of nutrients and vitamins.

“If you can imagine a restaurant with 80 different dishes on the menu, that’s just the start of understanding what we do here,” said Derek Graham, who runs the unit.

“To many of the staff, we are known as the ‘wee lab’ and our unit has been in existence for 35 years, having been previously based at Yorkhill.

“I get so much satisfaction from being part of the children’s recovery.”