Support after discharge: Neonatal Community Outreach Team
Neonatal Community Outreach Team
The Neonatal Community Outreach Team (NCOT) is based across two hospital sites—Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex Hospital. Each hospital has its own NCOT, led by a Senior Neonatal Sister who works across both sites.
Each member of the team is a Registered Nurse with many years of experience in neonatal nursing. Our role is to ensure you feel well supported upon discharge and once your baby is at home.
Team
Lead Nurse
- Khana Sison
Chelsea and Westminster team (CW)
- Juliet Tyler
- Andrea Sanchez-Sawicka
- Isabel Loyola
West Middlesex team (WM)
- Jamila Manna
- Jennifer Maestrado
CW NCOT currently works 5 days a week, 9am–5pm.
WM NCOT offers a 7-day service, 9am–5pm.
Contact details
Chelsea and Westminster team
T: 020 3315 7882
M: 07833 285 833
West Middlesex team
M: 07585 128 598
The community team will support you while you are on the unit and provide teaching and advice on parentcraft and basic life support. If you would like to talk about your baby’s discharge or what to expect, the team can meet with you to answer questions and offer support.
The team supports babies at home who require oxygen, weight management or nasogastric tube feeding.
You will be contacted by telephone within a few days of discharge to check how your baby is settling at home. This gives you the opportunity to ask any initial questions. The team will continue to call regularly depending on your baby’s age, gestation and progress.
Home visits are also available where required to provide additional support. Your baby will usually be discharged from the community team within four weeks of being at home and will then continue under the care of your health visitor.
Due to the wide area covered across Greater London, home visits are only offered to those living in the local area of each hospital. If you live outside the local area, support will be provided via telephone consultation. If home visits would be beneficial, we will discuss transferring care to your local hospital so full neonatal community support can be provided.
Community midwife
If your baby leaves the unit before 10 days of age, you will be visited by your community midwife. They will weigh your baby, provide feeding advice and check how you are doing.
Health visitor
Your community midwife will then hand over care to your health visitor, who will carry out a first home visit. During this visit, they will offer advice and support on caring for your baby, inform you about local baby clinics where your baby can be weighed, and signpost local Children’s Centres that offer support groups.
They will also provide advice on looking after yourself and how to access additional support if needed.
Your health visitor will agree a plan with you if your baby is still small or premature. This may include more frequent visits or attending baby clinics for regular check-ups.
You must register your baby with your GP as soon as possible
Your GP will be your first point of contact for medical care. They will carry out a 6–8 week postnatal check for you and your baby. If your baby was premature, this may take place later.
We will send your GP a copy of your baby’s discharge summary, which will include details of any medications or specialist milk your baby may need. Please contact your GP to arrange any repeat prescriptions.
If you are concerned about your baby out of hours, please call 111, or call 999 in an emergency.
Follow-ups after discharge
Some babies may require a paediatric consultant appointment or other follow-up tests or examinations. You will be informed before or on the day of discharge if any appointments are scheduled. Otherwise, appointments will be arranged by post or telephone.
If you have any queries regarding your baby’s appointment, please call the number on your appointment letter or contact Paediatric Outpatients on 020 3315 6666. We are unable to reschedule appointments for you.