Derriford Hospital, Plymouth
Plymouth Neonatal Intensive Care Unit has 22 cots and cares for babies of all gestations
University Hospitals Plymouth, Derriford Hospital
Level 5, Derriford Hospital, Derriford Road,
Plymouth, PL6 8DH
Intensive Care Nursery (01752) 455057
High Dependency Nursery (01752) 430857
Special Care Nurseries (01752) 430858
Neonatal Unit Manager (01752) 432800
Look around Plymouth Neonatal Unit
Content not to be used without permission of the SW Neonatal ODN, please contact: swneonatalnetwork@uhbw.nhs.uk
Information about the Neonatal Unit
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Plymouth Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is located on Level 5 – enter the maternity unit via the maternity entrance located next to Bantham ward and the Chestnut unit.
The unit is secure ward so please ring the doorbell on arrival. We have a fingerprint entry system for parents – we aim to have you registered on the system within 72 hours of admission.
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Click here to link to information about parking within the Derriford site. The nearest carpark is the multi-storey carpark which is 3-4 minute walk away.
Free parking is provided for one car for as long as you are on the Neonatal Unit. Please ask the NICU receptionist or your baby’s nurse for a parking permit.
You can also get to the hospital using public transport. For more transport information click here.
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Access to the neonatal unit for parents, legal guardians and siblings is open and unrestricted; this means that you can be present with your baby 24 hours a day. We actively encourage siblings to meet their new baby and encourage all families to be at the cot side as a family unit.
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You are welcome to introduce your baby to your family and friends; we ask that all visitors are over the age of 14 and are illness free. For safety reasons and noise levels we ask that there are only two adults at the cot side at any one time. Visitors will need to visit with a parent present unless otherwise documented in your baby’s care plan.
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To help stop infections spreading, everyone coming into the neonatal unit — families, staff and visitors — must:
Be free of infectious illnesses such as coughs, cold and sickness and diarrhoea
Take off coats and roll up sleeves to the elbows
Take off watches and jewellery
Wash hands and arms up to the elbows
Dry hands and arms properly
Use the alcohol hand gel
If you see anyone not doing this, including staff or visitors, please remind them.
We also kindly ask you to wash or use hand gel again before you touch your baby.
Your Baby’s Care
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The NICU team will see your baby on the daily ward round and will meet with you regularly to discuss their progress. Ward rounds are carried out at 9.30 and 20.30 and we encourage parents to be present and involved where able.
All babies are seen by the ward round team during the morning round. The evening ward round begins with a handover away from the nurseries and while the team will check in with the nurses caring for all of the baby’s they will only do a full ward round for the ITU patients.
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There are nursing staff present in all nurseries 24 hours a day and your baby will have a named nurse looking after them for each shift, if they are not available then please speak to any member of staff within the nursery.
A consultant/senior doctor is available on the unit 24 hours a day. If you are unable to attend the ward round or would like more of an in-depth sit-down discussion, then please request an update from the medical team and we will arrange a mutually convenient time.
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The nurse looking after your infant
The nurse in charge of the unit
The unit manager
The Neonatal and Transitional Care Matron
The consultant on service
If you are unable to resolve any concerns with one of these members of staff, then please contact the trusts Patient Advisory Liaison Service (PALS)
Telephone: 01752 439883 (9.30-12.30 & 13.00-16.00) - please leave a message and the team will call you back within 24 hours/the next working day.
Email: plh-tr.PALS@nhs.net or visit the PALS hub on level 6
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Dr Melanie Philipps
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Matron: Sarah Underwood
NICU Ward Manager: Rose Notley
Transitional Care Ward Manager: Megan Spellman
Facilities
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There are 3 double bedrooms on NICU available for parents to stay, these are prioritised for families when a baby is first admitted, when the baby is particularly unwell, or if a family is preparing to go home. The bedrooms share a toilet and shower.
We also have 4 bedrooms with private bathrooms available at the ‘Hearts Together’ hospital hotel, these are a short walk or drive from the hospital and are available free of charge. Within the hotel there is a large communal kitchen/dining area where they offer a complementary continental breakfast. A free shuttle service runs between the hotel and the hospital Monday-Friday.
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There is a parent’s sitting room on the unit with a children’s area and dining table for all families to use. There are also kitchen facilities, (including kettle, microwave and toaster) a toilet, shower and expressing room in the family area.
Lockers are available outside the special care nurseries to secure belongings – please speak to a member of staff to obtain a key.
Outside special care 2 and before the parent’s area there is a quiet room which families are also welcome to use.
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We offer the following for families:
Unrestricted unit access for parents and siblings
Quiet areas
Tea and coffee making facilities
Baby diary and ‘Snugglies’ (scent cloths)
Free car parking
Daily meal vouchers for parents
Weekly bursary if booked to deliver at another hospital Psychological support
Weekly visits from family and baby (FaB) workers
Family passes
If you would like more support or just want to talk to someone who is not directly caring for your baby, you can contact the neonatal unit psychology service. Speak to your baby’s nurse about this or email them directly at this address:
The unit psychologist can support you while your baby is in hospital and help arrange the right support for when you go home.
You can also talk to the hospital chaplaincy for emotional and spiritual support. Call them on 01752 245255 or click here to find out more.
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Within the family area there is an breast milk expressing room, here you will find an area to wash and sterilise your expressing equipment as well as two private areas with Medela breast pumps to express your milk.
You will find extra Medela pumps in the breast-feeding room which can be taken to your baby’s bedside or into the parent bedrooms, we ask they are returned to the expressing room after use.
We also have portable Ardo breast pumps that are available for parents to use at home for the duration of their time on NICU – if you go home under the care of the outreach team then we have pumps that can be used until you are discharged from them.
If you need any support with expressing, breast or bottle feeding then please speak to any of the nursing staff who will be happy to support you. We also have infant feeding specialists within the hospital if required.
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We actively encourage siblings to meet their new baby and want them to feel welcome and entertained whilst they are here.
Within the parents sitting room there is a children’s area with colouring, wall mounted activity boards and a small box of toys. We also have Kindle Fire tablets, colouring, and busy books available for use within the nurseries.