Neonatal Unit

Over 500 babies are admitted to the neonatal unit each year. They are looked after by a specialist team led by 7 consultants, a lead nurse and a modern matron. You can see our staff here. The neonatal unit is divided into 5 different areas.

Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)

There are 12 cots in the NICU, where we care for the most premature babies and other babies who need the highest level of nursing and medical care. Babies in NICU often require support for their breathing from a ventilator, and those undergoing major surgery will be looked after in this area.

We have a dedicated paediatric intensive care/neonatal intensive care (PICNIC) area which provides special surgical support/extended recovery for up to 3 infants aged 0–6 months, who may have been admitted from home with a surgical problem.

High dependency unit (HDU)

Babies in the HDU, which has 9 cots, require slightly less intensive monitoring than those in NICU. They may still need support for their breathing, but this can usually be given by a device called CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) which doesn’t require a tube going into the lungs. Babies who are recovering from surgery on their bowel often require intravenous feeding whilst milk feeds are being established—these babies will be looked after on the HDU.

Special care baby unit (SCBU)

The SCBU has 16 cots. Babies in SCBU do not require intensive monitoring but have some additional requirements which prevent them from going home or being looked after on the postnatal ward. Very premature babies usually progress from NICU through HDU to SCBU before preparing for going home. Other babies may be admitted to SCBU for a very short period. Babies in SCBU often require support for basic needs such as feeding, keeping warm and breathing. They may require tube feeding whilst they are learning to suck, may need to be on a heated mattress or in an incubator, and may need low level supplemental oxygen which can be given through tiny tubes placed just inside the nose.