A new Transitional Care Unit opened at Doncaster Royal Infirmary on 7 September, providing specialist support for babies who need additional neonatal care while enabling them to remain with their mother wherever clinically appropriate.
Located on Level 3 of the Women and Children’s Hospital, the dedicated unit can care for up to four babies and their mothers at a time.
Transitional Care supports babies who need additional monitoring, feeding support, treatment or observation, but who are well enough to remain with their mother rather than being admitted to the Neonatal Unit.
The service has been developed through a Quality Improvement project involving colleagues from across Maternity and Neonatal services, with feedback from patients and families also helping to shape the service.
Work has included the development of new clinical guidance and care pathways, specialist training for colleagues, staffing arrangements, equipment and changes to documentation and discharge processes.
Keeping mothers and babies together can support bonding and breastfeeding, while helping parents build confidence in caring for their baby before returning home.
The Trust has also introduced a new seven-day, cross-site midwife-led Newborn and Infant Physical Examination (NIPE) service.
Launched on 7 September, the service enables specially trained midwives to undertake the routine physical examination offered to newborn babies, helping improve access and experience for women and families across the Trust’s maternity services.
It also enables midwives to develop and use an extended clinical skill as part of their role, supporting a more flexible and sustainable service.
The project has been led by Jade Austin, NIPE Lead Midwife at DBTH, with midwives now delivering examinations as part of the new service.
Karen Jessop, Chief Nurse at DBTH, said: “The arrival of a new baby is an incredibly important time for families, and these two developments are about making sure mothers, babies and families receive the right support at the right time.
“Our new Transitional Care service will enable babies who need a little extra support to receive specialist care while remaining close to their mother wherever possible, helping families to bond and giving parents confidence before going home.
“The introduction of our midwife-led NIPE service is another important improvement, making these essential newborn examinations more accessible while also enabling our midwives to develop and use additional clinical skills.
“A huge amount of work has gone into developing both services, and I would like to thank everyone across Maternity, Neonates and the wider Trust who has helped make them possible.”
The Transitional Care team brings together neonatal nurses, midwives, doctors and allied health professionals, who will work alongside families to provide individualised care and support.
Together, the two developments form part of DBTH’s ongoing work to improve maternity and neonatal care and provide families with safe, high-quality and personalised support.