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Neonatal Unit (Special Care)

Our team of experts provide high quality, expert care for ill and premature babies at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

Information:

Take a look at a virtual tour of our unit

Some babies need special care in hospital if they are born early or if they:

  • have a low birthweight
  • have an infection
  • have jaundice
  • have had a difficult birth
  • need complex surgery

Our neonatal unit in the Women’s Centre at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital is fully equipped to care for your baby. We have a range of facilities including intensive care, also known as the special care baby unit or newborn intensive care unit (NICU).


Find out more about special care for ill and premature babies.

Visiting

Parents and siblings can visit the neonatal unit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All other visitors can visit between 2pm and 7pm every day:

  • visitors should be kept to a maximum of 2 at a time
  • switch your phone to silent and only use it in the main clinical areas
  • always wash your hands when you enter or leave the ward or your baby’s room
  • remove your coat or outdoor clothing when you arrive, to prevent the spread of infection

Brothers and sisters of your baby can visit the unit, but they should be supervised at all times. No other children are allowed on the unit.

Your Neonatal Baby Care Record

We offer a secure video messaging system for families in the Neonatal Unit.

We use a dedicated device kept in the Neonatal Unit to send video messages to parents securely using the BadgerNet Paediatrics system. Video messages can only be accessed by parents using their own secure login via the BadgerNotes app.

You will need to sign a consent form - please ask your care team.

How to get the app

You can download the Badgernotes app for Google Play, Apple App Store and set up your account at https://www.badgernotes.net/

Create an account

You’ll just need:

  • the passphrase given to you by the care team
  • your mobile phone to receive your verification text

Used Badger Notes, Maternity Notes or Baby Diary in the past? You can add your baby’s neonatal care record to your existing account.

  • Log in to Badger Notes using your existing password
  • Pull out the profile menu using
  • Select ‘Add a care record’
  • Input the passphrase provided by your care team and follow the on screen instructions

Timeline

A day by day timeline of your baby’s stay in the neonatal unit

  • View photos or videos of your baby added by the neonatal care team
  • View short diary entries for your baby recorded by the care team

Library

  • View leaflets containing information to support you while your baby is on the neonatal unit
  • Search for new medical terms you might encounter in the Glossary

Information

Food and drink
There are a variety of shops and restaurants at Gloucestershire Royal. Find out more about food and drink available in our hospitals.

Support for families
We provide support and care for the families of babies on our unit. Staff can also provide details of our active support groups, HOPE and SHED: Support and help for every dad.

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