The Winnicott Baby Unit, St Mary’s Hospital

The neonatal unit at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, the Winnicott Baby Unit, cares for up to 18 babies at a time in Intensive Care, High Dependency or Special Care. Around 350 premature or sick newborn babies are cared for each year by the multidisciplinary team of sixConsultant Neonatologists, eight Specialist Registrars (SPRs), eight Senior House Officers (SHOs), 60 Nurses, Occupational Therapists, a Developmental Care Specialist, Speech and Language Therapists, Dieticians and a Family Liaison Nurse as well as additional team support from Opthamologists, Surgeons, Hearing Test Nurses and others with specialist skills.

The unit’s family rooms, which were refurbished by the Winnicott Foundation, are next to the unit and available for all families to use. The space includes two parent bedrooms, a shower room, a kitchen, rest area with TV and DVD player, small play corner and PC with internet access.

Named after Donald Winnicott, paediatrician and psychoanalyst who promoted the benefits of family-centred care, the unit leads the UK in developmental care practice, teaching other units in this individualised, family-centred form of multidisciplinary care. The UK NIDCAP Training Centre is based here.

The Winnicott Foundation supports parent groups for families during their stay in the unit, and after discharge.

 The Neonatal Unit, Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital

The Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital neonatal unit is based on the Hammersmith Hospital campus. It cares for over 500 babies a year including some of the smallest, sickest and most fragile babies born in the UK. The unit offers specialised intensive care for babies with many problems including those born with brain injury or abnormalities and babies born following complications in twin and higher order multiple pregnancies.

Care can be provided for up to 32 babies at a time, supported by a multidisciplinary team of 7 Consultant Neonatologists , 2 Consultant Perinatal Neurologists, a Consultant Perinatal Cardiologist  11 Specialist Registrars (SpRs), 14 Senior House Officers (SHOs),  84 Nurses, 2 Community Nurses, Speech and Language Therapists, a Physiotherapist, a Dietician and additional support from other specialists.

The unit is also home to a milk bank holding donated breast milk which is used for some premature babies.

The unit has a very active research program with its own MR scanner; many parents consent to their babies taking part in this program.

The neonatal unit has ten parent bedrooms with en-suite facilities and other parent facilities.