Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

We are part of the South East London Perinatal Network and provide intensive, high-dependency and special care to premature babies, as well as term babies with medical problems. Babies with surgical problems are assessed, stabilised and transferred to a surgical centre.

The NICU team is made up of highly skilled nursing staff with extended roles, of which some roles are unique in London. All of our consultants are on the specialist register as Neonatologists, and we have a doctor's assistant, which is also unique to our unit.

We also offer the services of a specialist paediatric dietician and pharmacist who are also part of the Nutrition team that assess the nutrition of babies admitted on the neonatal Unit on a weekly basis, as well as paediatric physiotherapists.

Recent service improvements include the launch of our parents support group, which enables parents of babies on the unit to attend a weekly discussion forum, and we work very closely with Bliss to support parents. We have also renovated our Harris Family Suite, to enable parents on the unit to stay overnight.

What services are available?

Inpatient

We have 23 cots on the Neonatal Unit – 6 intensive, 6 high dependency and 11 special care cots.
We provide Intensive, high dependency and special care to all categories of premature and term babies as agreed by the South East London Perinatal Network. Our outcomes are better or at least favourably comparable to other neonatal units that provide a similar level of care.
Facilities for mothers to express breast milk for their babies. We also have storage facilities for breast milk.
Ophthalmology screening for premature babies and hearing screening for all babies.
Planned operations eg hernias are done for our inpatient babies at University Hospital Lewisham by the same surgeons working in the surgical centre.
Premature babies who need laser treatment for retinopathy of prematurity have this done at University Hospital Lewisham by the visiting Ophthalmologist from King’s College Hospital.

Outpatient

Assessment of well babies with jaundice or prolonged jaundice referred by the midwife, General Practitioner or the Accident and Emergency department. This is done in a designated room on the Neonatal Unit and babies are followed up in the out -patient department if necessary.
Echocardiography for babies with heart murmur, antenatally identified cardiac problems or in conditions where cardiac problems are anticipated. This is done in a designated room on the Neonatal Unit or in the Out-patient clinic.

Working with our Maternity Department

Members of our team attend high risk deliveries and deliveries during which problems have arisen unexpectedly, to assess and provide any emergency care or resuscitation and admit the baby to the Neonatal unit if needed.
On the maternity ward, we provide the routine examination of the newborn to all babies. We also review babies with problems identified antenatally or after birth. We arrange appropriate follow up (in outpatient) or referrals. We also see babies born at the birth centre if there are any concerns.
We advise/counsel parents when requested by our fetal medicine colleagues in cases where problems are identified in the baby. Together with our Obstetrics colleagues and a women’s counsellor, we also provide a perinatal loss counselling session to parents who have lost their babies before at or after delivery.

Where are these services located?

Inpatient care is provided on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) located on the 4th Floor of the Green Zone.

Outpatient services are provided at the new purpose-built Children’s Outpatient Department (located in the Kinsfisher Building, in the Pink Zone).

Who are these services for?

These services are for preterm and term babies. Babies who are born at less than 32 weeks of gestation are followed in the outpatient until they are 2 years old. Babies born at over 32 weeks gestation will be discharged sooner unless there are specific problems that need follow up.

GPs can refer babies up to the age of 3 months who have general medical problems to the neonatal outpatient clinic.

How can you get an appointment?

For babies on the postnatal ward or discharged from there, the doctor seeing or
discharging the baby will arrange an outpatient appointment.

For babies discharged from the Neonatal unit, the ward administrator will make an outpatient appointment at the time of discharge. If the discharge is on a weekend, an appointment will be sent in the post to parents.

Jaundiced babies in the community are referred by the community midwife or a GP.

When seen in clinic, the doctor will request subsequent appointments if needed.

How can you contact the department?

You can call NICU direct using the following numbers:

020 8333 3139
020 8333 3140
020 8333 6435

You can also call the neonatal consultant secretaries via the switchboard on 020 8333 3000.

Who are the key staff?

Consultant Neonatologists

Dr O. Obi
Dr E. Sleight
Dr A. Alfituri
Dr R. Jayalakshmi
Dr J. Kuna
Dr D. Garvie (Cardiology/Echocardiography)

Neonatal Modern day matron

J. O’ Donoghue

Ophthalmologist

Mr W Aclimandos

Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

F. Eze

What else do you need to know?

A parent information booklet is given to parents if their baby is admitted to the neonatal unit. This contains visiting information, contact details etc. Only parents are allowed to visit but they can visit 24 hours a day.
Parents can stay by the cotside of their baby when they are being discussed during the morning ward rounds. They can ask questions and be involved in decision making about the care of their baby. They will then be asked to stay outside when other babies are discussed – for reasons of confidentiality.
Parents will be told about the parent support group and other resource by the nurses.
When coming to an out-patient appointments, parents are encouraged to bring along their baby’s red book.