The consultant neonatologists/paediatricians will lead on your baby’s care.

Our specialist doctors are based in the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and care for babies on NICU that require surgery or other medical input.

The junior medical staff support the consultants to care for your baby.

Provides clinical leadership for the Unit and ensures effective management and support for medical staff.

She is responsible for clinical effectiveness arrangements within the directorate and oversees matters of clinical policy and practice, staffing, education and training.  She works in partnership with the Divisional Director and Lead Nurse to provide joint accountability for the quality and performance of the directorate, development of the directorate strategy and business developments.

Works in conjunction with the Clinical Head of Division and Lead Nurse to ensure that the Unit meets all necessary activity and performance requirements.  She manages all non clinical staff and is responsible for the operational efficiency of the Unit and effective use of all resources.

Has responsibility for the overall day to day management of the unit and the wellbeing of the infants in our care, the parents and families, and the nursing staff.

She provides professional and clinical leadership and works collaboratively with the lead nurses within the Greater Manchester area to support the delivery of excellent neonatal care wherever your baby is cared for.

• The Quality and Governance Matron – this role has responsibility for education, training, research, risk management, audit and quality.  She is responsible for providing nurse leadership for the implementation of the Trust Quality Strategy, leading on risk management and the future development of clinical competencies and educational development.
• The Critical Care Matron – this role is the operational management of intensive care and high dependency care.  She is a clinical expert and will ensure that appropriate nursing expertise is delivered to all neonates.  She provides professional leadership to the Advanced Practitioners and oversees the development of enhanced and advanced practice.
• Continuing Care Matron – this role has responsibility for neonatal continuing care.  This includes: low dependency care, transitional care (including advising on the care of neonates on the postnatal wards), community and outreach services, safeguarding and liaison with midwifery services internally and regionally.  She provides a liaison role for families where birth is planned to take place in Saint Mary’s and in preparation for discharge or transfer.  She is the education lead for the Newborn service and oversees infant feeding, FiCare, developmental care, bereavement, pathway co-ordinators, the family care team, education and training and implementation of the Quality Improvement Programme.

All help support and care for your baby day to day.

A student nurse/midwife works to maintain and promote the health of infants while following the policies and procedures of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust when gaining practical clinical experience.

A student nurse/midwife must follow the instructions of her clinical supervisor. Working at the Trust offers a chance for a student nurse/midwife to practice what she has learned in University.

Students apply their knowledge and skills in the care of infants and their families under the guidance of a mentor and/or preceptor. The student’s behaviour should reflect the values and behaviours of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust at all times. Policies and guidelines for clinical placements must be adhered to and students must follow the values and behaviours of the Trust which includes: Together Care Matters, Everyone Matters, Working Together, Dignity and Care and Open and Honest.

The learning environment of the Newborn Services in which learners are placed is conducive to learning, in order to develop safe, competent, caring practitioners of the future.

The students’ experiences will provide them with valuable learning opportunities.

The reception staff is our front of house team, they are here to help guide you through your initial arrival onto Newborn Services, they are responsible for meeting and greeting you and your visitors on a daily basis, and helping to maintain the safety and security of the units.

The Unit assistants are an integral part of the neonatal team; they work 24 hours/day 7 days per week. Their role has evolved and grown meaning as they can provide increased support for staff in the clinical area, ensuring that sufficient stock and equipment is available for staff to use. They not only ensure equipment is clean and available but they support staff with the preparation of cot space areas in anticipation for admissions. They are involved with supporting initiatives to save time and energy incorporating the principles of the well organised ward. They work very closely with our housekeeper and Domestic staff ensuring that our ward area shines.

The physiotherapists who work on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are based within Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.  They work as part of the Inter Disciplinary Team (IDT) to provide a service to the babies on NICU.

This service provides early assessment to babies at risk of developmental problems; respiratory care as needed and assessment of any musculoskeletal or genetic conditions while the babies are on the unit.

In many cases this consists of positioning advice and supporting parents and the IDT through the developmental care model and the concept of kangaroo care.

Once your baby has been discharged from hospital any on-going Physiotherapy care will be provided by your local service; which may be a home visit or taking your baby to a local child development centre as they get bigger.

Dietitians work as part of the multi-disciplinary team and provided assessment, treatment and monitoring.  Their aim is to help maximise your baby’s nutritional needs, growth and development whilst minimising any complications that may be associated with diet.

A neonatal pharmacist has extra training to work with premature and or sick babies.

The neonatal pharmacist works alongside doctors and the nurses on the unit to ensure that the medications prescribed to your baby are safe and effective.  They can provide information to you and to your family about the medications that your baby is prescribed and help ensure that on discharge you are confident and able to administer these medicines.

On a daily basis a pharmacist will review your baby’s drug charts and order any PN (parenteral nutrition) that they require.  Parenteral nutrition comprises many components and it is imperative that it is made to meet your baby’s requirements in a sterile pharmacy environment.

The pharmacist will also provide information to you and to the doctors looking after your baby about the safety of breastfeeding whilst taking any medications.  Please feel free to stop the pharmacist on the ward if you have any medication related questions they can help with.

Provide diagnostic imaging services as required.

The Lead Specialist Speech & Language Therapist works alongside the feeding team including nurses, Dietitian and  Physiotherapist with a specific role to assess and manage early feeding and swallowing difficulties including the prevention of aversive feeding patterns.

She also provides teaching to all staff on the unit on feeding and swallowing, promoting oral readiness and the management of complex feeding and swallowing difficulties.

The shift coordinator is the nurse in charge and they are responsible for the day to day management of the unit. The shift coordinator is available for you to speak to if you ever have any questions or concerns.

Our Infant Feeding Team is based on the NICU and work with the nurses and doctors to provide extra support to parents with all aspects of feeding during your baby’s stay.

Our team members have a variety of experience ranging from Nursery Nurses to Enhanced Nurse Practitioners and all have a special interest in feeding.  We work closely with the Speech & Language Therapist and Dietitian to support you and your baby’s stay on the NICU.

Expressing milk –  Breast milk is highly beneficial for preterm and poorly babies. Your NICU nurse will support you to provide breast milk for your baby by showing you how to hand express in the first few days to gain colostrum (mum’s first milk).  It is quite common for a mum’s milk supply to change during her baby’s time in hospital and our Feeding Team can offer extra tips and advice to support you.

Breastfeeding and bottle feeding – NICU nurses are trained to help support you and your little one’s feeding journey. The Feeding Team are on hand to offer extra advice and support to help you feel confident in feeding your baby.

Feeding drop in – In our parents’ sitting room every Wednesday, it’s a great chance to meet other parents, share experiences and top tips, plus get to speak with one of our Feeding Team for further support and advice.

 

Take a look at the leaflets under the Feeding Section on this website for useful information.

The Manchester Neonatal Outreach team (MNORT) was set up in 1945 to address the increasing infant mortality rates in central Manchester, which at the time were below the national average. Currently, the infant mortality rates compare favourably with the national average.

The MNORT consists of a highly specialised team of midwives, neonatal nurses and nursery nurses. All members of the team have experience in working in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) before transferring into the community. We are a citywide service.

The team accepts referrals from the neonatal units at Oxford Road Campus, Wythenshawe and North Manchester. We also receive referrals from the postnatal wards from the aforementioned hospitals. Babies from the postnatal wards are generally babies that are born mildly preterm with a gestation of 35 weeks or have a birth weight of 2.2kg or below.

The majority of babies we visit at home are preterm. A significant number of these preterm infants, although generally healthy, may still require oxygen support until there is significant lung growth and they can be weaned off the oxygen. Having an experienced community service allows for earlier discharge from hospital which benefits both baby and their parents.

The ROP team run weekly clinics to assist screening and treatment for ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity).

The newborn hearing screen helps identify babies who have a permanent hearing loss as early as possible. This means parents can get the support and advice they need right from the start. 1-2 babies in every 1000 are diagnosed with a permanent hearing loss and this number increases to 1-2 in 100 when babies are admitted to the NICU for more than 48 hours.

We will aim to offer a newborn hearing screen for your baby when they are ready to be discharged home. One of our dedicated hearing screeners will talk to you about what the screen involves and answer any questions you may have.  Screening usually takes 20-30 minutes and you will be given the results straight away.

There are two screens which we perform on babies who have been on NICU for more than 48 hours. The first screen is called the automated otoacoustic emission (AOAE). A small soft-tipped earpiece is placed in your baby’s ear and gentle clicking sounds are played. The second screen is called the automated auditory brainstem response (AABR). The AABR screen involves placing 3 small sensors on your baby’s head and neck. Soft headphones are placed over your baby’s ears and gentle clicking sounds are played.

It’s not always possible to get clear responses from the screen. This doesn’t always mean your baby has a hearing loss but we would refer you to your local Audiology department for a diagnostic assessment.

If your baby is discharged before the screen is performed you will receive an appointment through the post to attend a community clinic.

For more information on the hearing screening programme please visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/newborn-hearing-test/

The Newborn Services bereavement team support bereaved families both in the hospital and at home by telephone, email, text and home visiting. The care involves practical and emotional support, assistance with funeral planning and support with siblings and extended family. Parents are supported following the loss of a baby (including twins and triplets), returning to work, in the next pregnancy and with Coronial and Inquest issues.

Bereaved families from Newborn Services are invited to attend events hosted by the team throughout the year including St. Mary’s Hospital Baby Memorial Service and the Christmas Coffee event. These events offer families the opportunity to remember their baby, include their wider family and spend time with other bereaved families.

The team work closely with the Newborn Services Counsellors in areas of bereavement support. The Counsellors offer formal on-going counselling sessions alongside more informal emotional support at a time of crises. The counsellors are an invaluable resource to parents with a baby with a palliative diagnosis or when end of life care is planned and support the bereavement team events.

Our counsellor provides free confidential support to parents of babies on NICU.

‘Having your grandchild on Newborn Services, it doesn’t feel like your baby, it is like the nurses baby. I didn’t feel comfortable touching Bobby as he had all these wires on him. This is not how pregnancy and birth should be, you should go home with a healthy baby, it is like you are in a bubble and everything is alien to you.

I am not a doctor or a nurse, but families can talk to me as I have the time to give them the nurses are very busy looking after the babies.

I have made bonds with parents as I see them weekly, some parents just want to offload. I can tell them that even in the bad times, there are good moments too’ 

Christine – one of our volunteers.