King’s Mill Hospital has become the first in the UK to provide a specialist pod to support visitors and staff to nurse their young children.

The purpose-built pod has been installed inside the main entrance of the Sutton hospital to provide a private and comfortable place for parents to feed infants and express milk.

The lockable room, which is available 24 hours a day, contains a comfortable chair with footrest, a place to plug in a breast pump and charge a phone, dimmable lights, a bag storage area, and baby changing facilities.

MyPodtm, provided by MumPod®, is the first of its kind to be installed anywhere in the UK. Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust (SFH), which runs the hospital, provided the pod after considering feedback from a member of staff and results of a staff survey, which confirmed there was a lack of suitable locations to express milk while at work.

The location of the pod, next to the Community Involvement Hub, means it can be used by all hospital visitors, not just staff. There are also baby-feeding rooms near the main hospital entrance and on the maternity ward.

The trust said parents are also welcome to feed children anywhere on site if they feel comfortable.

Former SFHT medicines management technician Victoria Cooke, who first raised the issue of a lack of comfortable, private space, attended the official opening of the pod.

Victoria, who has a two-year-old son, said: “I’m so glad that a proactive change has been made to facilitate people in the future, on the back of my own personal experience.”

Infant feeding specialist midwife Natalie Boxall said: “Women and parents can feed their baby in public anywhere in the UK, including within SFH buildings when they are here to visit or work. However, the SFH pod is for anyone coming to King’s Mill who wants a quiet and private space to express their milk, breastfeed, or chestfeed their child.”