NICU - Useful Information

We are located in the Sharoe Green unit located at the rear of Royal Preston Hospital

Directions to Sharoe Green Unit

WE ARE A SMOKE FREE HOSPITAL

We kindly ask that you respect that our hospital site and grounds are smoke free

From May 2017 smoking has not been permitted anywhere on any of our premises, either inside or outside the buildings. 

The use of e-cigarettes has never been permitted anywhere on our hospital sites, as they are not a regulated product or endorsed by the NHS.

You can learn more about our smoke-free policy here: https://www.lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk/smoke-free-site.

If you're ready to quit smoking, Smokefree Lancashire offers free support and resources to help you on your journey. Visit their website to learn more: smokefreelancashire.org.uk.

Parking is free for all parents who have babies on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, throughout their baby's stay, please ask a member of staff for a car parking form.

You will need to take this form to the General Office in the main building during working hours, if you require any assistance or further forms please ask a member of staff.

Please note car parking is not back dated, free parking commences on the day the car park slip is obtained. Please ensure you obtain a slip as soon as possible following your baby's admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Please provide the Shift Coordinator with your car registration and we can notify car parking during out of working hours.

Reasonable travel costs can also be reimbursed for parents who receive a qualifying state benefit / allowance, PLEASE KEEP ALL RECEIPTS and staff can provide you with a form to take to the main General Office during working hours.

Please CLICK HERE for further information regarding car parking at RPH

Here is a guide of the available facilities both surrounding and within the hospital grounds

There are supermarkets and restaurants near the hospital; Booths is located on the main road where the hospital is situated and ASDA, ALDI & Sainsbury’s are nearby.

Deepdale Retail Park has several restaurants and shops within its grounds:

• visitnorthwest.com/malls/deepdale-retail-park

Cafes are situated in the Main Hospital

• lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk/cafes-shops-and-hospital-food

Within the Sharoe Green unit is our Baby Beat shop

• https://babybeat.org.uk/about-us/

There are food storage facilities on the neonatal unit and within Bowland House for those residing in the hotel.

Free meals are available for the following       

Breastfeeding mothers are entitled to free hot meals during the day once they are discharged from the hospital - Vouchers are provided by the unit

Breakfast is provided for parents rooming in on our Transitional rooms on the unit and parents staying in Bowland House Hotel

All meals are provided for inpatient mothers on Maternity and Transitional Care unit

WiFi

Mobile phones are allowed on the unit and we do recognise that connecting with family and friends provides invaluable support for parents. We simply ask that you always respect other families and staff while using your phone and help us to promote a calming, quiet environment that supports every baby's health and development.

Find out how to access our WiFi here: lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk/tv-phones-and-wifi

Chaplaincy Services

Coming into hospital can be unsettling and stressful. Patients, relatives and carers may find it helpful to have someone to talk to. The Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Department consists of a multi faith team of chaplains and chaplaincy volunteers. The Chaplains are appointed by the Trust and are professionals from specific religious traditions, who are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Find out more about our chaplaincy services here: lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk/our-services?service=14

Accessibility and Translation

Every family has the right to access all our neonatal services in an appropriate format.  Our trust provides translation and interpreter services including British Sign Language (BSL). Please be reassured our interpreters are all appropriately qualified and skilled for this service we provide

On the Neonatal Unit we use an app called DA Languages - which offers face to face and on demand - instant access video interpreters.

Our pages can also be translated to other languages using Reach Deck. On any page click on the orange circle to open up a bar. You can then use the drop down to select another language.

Find out more about our accessibility and translation options here: lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk/disabilities

Concerns and Complaints

If you have any questions or concerns please know you can discuss this with your the nurse / doctor caring for your baby at any time. If following those discussions your concern has not been resolved then please raise this further with the Nurse co-ordinator, Matron or Ward Manager or your baby's Consultant.

Our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is also available to:

• Actively listen and respond to concerns, suggestions or queries to help improve patients’ experiences
• Provide information on NHS Services
• Offer advice on the NHS Complaints process and provide information on how to seek independent advice if you wish to make a complaint
• Feedback your views to the relevant staff, Chief Executive and Trust Board
• Help the organisation learn from feedback and concerns to improve your experience

You can contact them on 01772 522972 or email them on PALS@lthtr.nhs.uk

Welcome to our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

We understand that having a baby admitted onto our Neonatal or Transitional care unit can be very daunting being in an unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar sounds and smells around you. We all want your experience of our unit to be one that is positive and supportive.

In 2004 neonatal care for premature and sick new born babies was organised into geographical areas in England. This ensured hospitals worked together to deliver safe, high quality neonatal care that would be provided as close to the parents home as possible, resulting in shorter transport times and keeping parents and babies together.

Within each network there are 3 levels of Neonatal Units, Royal Preston Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a level 3 unit within the Lancashire and South Cumbria.

The Northwest Neonatal Network

What does being a level 3 NICU mean?

We provide all levels of medical care 24 hours a day for babies born from 22 weeks gestation and above and for newborn babies who become unwell just after birth, adhering to the standards set by the British Association of Perinatal Medicine (bapm.org)

We have 28 cot spaces in total

• 6 Intensive care cots
• 8 High Dependency cots
• 14 Special Care Cots
• 4 Transitional Care cots

Specific treatments include:

• Therapeutic Cooling (We are a specialised cooling centre in the Lancashire & South Cumbria area)
• Nitric Oxide Therapy
• High Frequency Oscillation Therapy
• Optimal Cord Clamping
• Invasive and Non Invasive modes of respiratory support

Your baby may have been born in your local hospital but they have required more intensive and or specific medical treatment that your local unit can not provide and therefore your baby has been transferred to Royal Preston Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to receive this care.

We also work closely with Manchester and Liverpool Tertiary units within the North West Network to ensure our babies receive excellent specialised surgical and medical care

You can take a virtual 360 degree tour of our unit here.

Transitional care

The Neonatal Transitional Care Unit is based on our maternity ward for babies born at 34 weeks onwards, whose mothers remain inpatients. Babies sometimes after birth might just need a short period of time of close monitoring, intravenous antibiotics, enhanced feeding support such as naso-gastric tube feeds or help maintaining their temperature. The transitional care unit allows these babies who would normally have been admitted to the NICU to be cared for alongside their mothers with the support of neonatal nurses and midwives. This reduces mother baby separation, enhances bonding and early attachment and provides opportunities to support establishing breast feeding. Partners are welcome to stay with mums on the Transitional Care Unit.

We understand that the Neonatal Unit can be very overwhelming and your baby may be surrounded by complex machines. We hope the following explanations of the main equipment we use on the Neonatal unit will answer any questions you may have. The nurses and medics will always explain all your babys equipment to you.

In the delivery room / theatre

Optimal cord clamping unit (lifestart)

The unit is positioned next to the mother’s bedside providing close comfort, avoids separation, allows open communication between the neonatal team and family and enables optimal cord clamping. Baby's are placed onto the warm mattress of the unit, whilst the umbilical cord remains intact and the neonatal team support the baby’s airway

Transport incubator

To transfer babies safely to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, we use a transport incubator. The clear box helps keep your baby warm and allows continuous observation during the transfer. The incubator has inbuilt respiratory support and monitoring, so babies are receiving the best care from birth.

On the neonatal unit

Incubators

 

Your baby may be nursed in an incubator to help keep them warm and allow close observation without having to disturb your baby too much.

Incubators will have covers on them to protect babies from excessive noise and light.

Monitors

This machine allows continuous monitoring of your baby's heart beat, breathing and oxygen levels in their blood.

This is picked up by little pads that are placed on the baby’s chest called ECG leads

A light source that shines through the baby's skin called a saturation probe.
 

The monitor also records baby's blood pressure with mini BP cuffs.

Intravenous pumps

Babies can sometimes require intravenous (going into a vein) fluids and medications to keep them hydrated and help them. These are delivered through a syringe attached to a pump. We use different types of intravenous fluids and access lines (The most common being a peripheral cannula) and the team will explain this to you.

Ventilators

Babies may require support with their breathing from a tube that is placed into the baby’s windpipe and attaches to a ventilator which helps the baby’s lungs open and close until they can do this for themselves

We also provide enhanced types of ventilator / pulmonary support such as:

High Frequency Oscillation which opens and closes the lungs very quickly creating a vibration appearance of the chest.

Nitric Oxide is a gas that is delivered into the lungs to help lung vessels open and improve the amount of oxygen in the blood.

NCPAP

This is called Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. This respiratory support is a step down from the ventilator and less invasive for the baby. The machine delivers a continuous flow of air/oxygen through prongs or a mask over the baby’s nose into the baby's lungs to keep them slightly open at all times, which reduces the amount of effort the baby has to put in when breathing in and out on their own.

Vapotherm

This respiratory support supplies a continuous humidified high flow of air / oxygen to the baby via nasal prongs that are placed into the baby’s nose. Vapotherm is non-invasive and helps clear residual built up carbon dioxide; babies are gradually weaned off the machine by reducing the flow.

Nasal prong oxygen therapy

Babies especially those born prematurely may require low flow oxygen therapy and this is delivered through nasal prongs.

Apnoea alarm

This machine monitors a baby's breathing pattern and will alarm if the baby does not breathe within 20 seconds. This is done through a little disc that is placed onto a baby’s tummy and secured with tape.

Nasogastric / orogastric tube feeds

Many babies on the Neonatal Unit will be fed by a tube when they start to have milk feeds. A plastic tube goes into your baby’s nostril or their mouth and into their tummy and milk is then slowly given via a syringe. The reason for this is that many babies have not developed yet the ability to suck, swallow and breathe which is essential to be able to take feeds safely orally.

Breast Milk Fridge

We have fridges to store fresh Breast Milk in each room babies are cared for. All milk is safely identified with baby's own labels. We also have freezers on the unit to store breast milk in and each family is allocated a box and we encourage families once this box is full to store expressed breast milk at home, to allow space for other families.

Milk warmer

We have Calesca machines in each room babies are cared for, we use these machines to defrost and warm expressed breast milk to the right temperature so to maintain its integrity and benefits to the baby.

Phototherapy units

Babies can often require phototherapy lights if they become jaundiced to help break down the excess bilirubin in the body. We have different types of phototherapy units to suit individual baby’s needs.

We will always place little eye masks on baby's when using overhead phototherapy lights to protect their eyes.

Breast pumps

 

On the Neonatal Unit we use Medela Symphony Pumps. This breast pump is designed to be used from birth alongside hand expressing. The neonatal nurses or midwifes will explain how to use the equipment. We also provide a smaller Breast pump called an Ardo for when you are discharged home.

Thermometers

Each baby has their own thermometer by their cotside and this is what we use to measure baby's temperatures. The temperature is recorded by placing the probe under the baby's axilla. Staff will teach you how to record your baby's temperature once you feel able to carry out this care for your baby.

We understand that having a baby admitted to the Neonatal Unit is very often unexpected and parents may not have certain items readily available, here is a guide to help you.

Nappies and cotton wool

We ask that parents provide nappies, cotton wool, nappy bags and cotton buds for mouth care for their baby's as soon as they are able to. We can initially supply these until you are able to do so. We supply very small nappies for our extremely premature babies which you cannot buy in the shops.

Formula & bottles

Evidence shows us that breastmilk is the best nutritionally for babies, and this is especially so for preterm babies, who's stomachs may not be able to tolerate formula milk when they are first born.  We respect every parents choice to feed their baby how they wish too, we stock a term formula, specialist dietary and preterm formula milks on the unit however if there is a milk you specifically wish your baby to receive you will need to supply this, please liaise with the nurse caring for your baby. We also have 2 teat types of variable size and flow. Please feel free to bring your own bottles in once your baby is established on bottle feeds. We will provide a milton tank for your baby’s own bottles, which we change daily for you.

Pacifiers

Pacifiers are only provided at parental consent, we do supply specialist preterm pacifiers, a member of our team will discuss the benefits of pacifiers.

Clothes & blankets

Very often when babies are admitted they may be nursed in an incubator (described in our unit tour) and are nursed just in their nappies so we can keep very close observation on them. However once your baby is able to wear clothes we will let you know so you can bring in your own baby clothes and dress your baby and if you wish to bring in your own blankets please do so as these are lovely to have for cuddle times. Also you may wish to bring in muslin blankets / sheets that can be used for your baby's bedding.

Cuddly toys

We kindly ask that you only bring in one toy as space is quite limited and for infection control reasons and that this remains on the side not in the baby's Incubator or cot to conform to Safer Sleep Guidelines

We have no washing facilities on the unit so we do ask parents to take their babies clothes and blankets home to clean, also cuddly toys must be washed once a week.

We have an open access policy for parents, siblings and all other visitors on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

We ask that children under 16 who are not siblings do not come onto the unit due to infection control practices

Only 2 people are allowed at each cot side at one time (one of these must be a parent/guardian) – we have a waiting area for your visitors on the unit.

The safety of our patients, families and staff is our top priority – we have a buzzer entry system to the unit and staff will open the door after confirming identification over the intercom. We do ask parents and visitors to not allow access to the unit of anyone they do not recognise and to inform a member of staff.

Named visitors can be agreed with matron & the shift coordinator in special circumstances but named visitors can not bring in other visitors.

We kindly ask that everyone respects the privacy of other families, therefore please do not approach other cots / incubators.

What is a ward round?

A ward round is when the medical team go around the neonatal unit and review every baby and discuss their care with the parents, nurses and other health care professionals and make plans for the days ahead.

The consultant of the week is always present on morning ward round and we always encourage parents to be part of the ward round because parents know there baby's best and it provides a great opportunity to engage with the consultant and the team and participate in creating a plan of care.

PLEASE NOTE we do not ask other parents to leave during the ward round discussions, as we are aware every moment parents spend with their baby's is precious. If you wish that your baby's care be discussed privately please inform a member of staff and please be aware you will be asked to leave when discussing the other babies in the room.

We have a main ward round everyday from 09:15am & Tuesdays from 10:15am.

If you wish to have an in depth discussion with your baby's consultant this can be arranged for you.

If parents are unable to attend the unit and / or ward round due to illness, distance from home unit, our nursing and medical team will provide regular updates through various communication pathways.