Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at University Hospital Lewisham
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) looks after premature and sick newborn infants.
Location
4th Floor - Green Zone - University Hospital Lewisham
Contact Details
Neonatal Unit Reception
T: 020 8333 3139 / 3140
Who is the Unit for?
High dependency and special care babies over 27 weeks gestation and with a weight of 800grams and above can be admitted to the NICU at University Hospital Leiwsham.
Babies born at less than 27 weeks gestation and a weight below 800grams will be transferred to a Level 3 (intensive care) unit coordinated by the Dedicated Retrieval Team from Royal London Hospital at Whitechapel.
Neonatal surgery cases will also be transferred to one of the hospitals within the South East London Neonatal Network.
Babies who have continuing healthcare needs after they are discharged will be referred to the Children's Community Nursing team and Health Visitors and Community Midwives are kept informed.
What does the unit do?
The Neonatal Unit at University Hospital Lewisham is a Local Neonatal Unit (LNU) caring for babies from 27 weeks gestation and with a weight above 800gms.
The Unit has a dedicated team of Paediatric Consultants, Head of Nursing/ANNP and Specialist trained nurses. The Unit has a Doctors ward round between 08.30-10.30am (finishing times vary). Parents are welcome and encouraged to be in attendance when the Doctors see their baby.
We are able to offer Donor breast milk, daily breastfeeding classes on our postnatal ward and have a full time breastfeeding lead and discharge co-ordinator to fully prepare parents when they are ready to go home.
We have daily quiet times which gives parents an opportunity to have undisturbed time for kangaroo care and quality time with their baby.
Visiting the Neonatal Unit
Parents, are welcome to stay at any time. Grandparents and siblings of the baby are welcome to visit between 2pm-8pm. Visitors are limited to 2 people per baby and we always require visitors to be accompanied by one of the parents.
Parents are encouraged to participate in the care of their baby and to hold them as much as is possible. Mothers are supported in feeding their babies with specialist nurses on hand to provide help with both breast and bottle feeding, and there is a dedicated room for mothers to express milk.
Parents have their own sitting room with tea and coffee making facilities. There is also an ensuite room for parents and their baby to use prior to discharge for 'rooming in' – this is somewhere you can spend some time bonding with your baby, overnight if you want to, before you are discharged and head home.
The Unit has a strict hand hygiene policy and all visitors to the unit must wash their hands as they enter and as instructed afterwards. If you are unwell, please do not visit the unit to avoid spreading infections.