Question 1

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Accepted Answer

NICU, sometimes referred to as Tertiary/level 3 units. NICU’s care for babies born from 22 weeks gestation, babies who have a surgical need and babies who need prolonged intensive care. Here in the North West we have 7 NICU’s; St Mary’s, Royal Bolton & Royal Oldham, Arrowe Park, Liverpool Women’s, Burnley and Royal Preston.

Question 2

Local Neonatal Unit (LNU)

Accepted Answer

Babies cared for in an LNU can receive short term intensive care treatment requiring respiratory support on a ventilator. There are 12 LNU’s in the North West: North Manchester, Wythenshawe, Stepping Hill, Tameside, Royal Albert Edward, Countess of Chester, Leighton, Ormskirk, Whiston, Warrington, Blackpool and Royal Lancaster.

Question 3

Special Care Baby Unit (SCU's)

Accepted Answer

Babies will receive minimal respiratory support, tube feeding, continuous monitoring and supportive care prior to discharge home. In the North West there are 2 SCU’s which are Macclesfield and Furness.

Question 4

What is FiCare?

Accepted Answer

“Family Integrated Care (FICare) is a model of neonatal care which promotes a culture of partnership between families and staff. This enables parents to become confident, knowledgeable and independent primary caregivers” (BAPM, 2021).

Question 5

Why are there different types of Neonatal Units?

Accepted Answer

The different levels of neonatal units depend on the level of specialist neonatal care they offer. Babies who require an admission to a neonatal unit will receive care depending upon their clinical condition and what they need. Their care may change throughout their neonatal journey in hospital.

Question 6

Will my baby always stay in the same Neonatal Unit?

Accepted Answer

Sometimes babies will need to be transferred to another hospital.

It could be that a baby requires a higher level of specialised medical and nursing care and needs to move to an NICU, which might not be the closest to home. Likewise, a baby who is born in an NICU, may not always stay within this unit because they no longer require such specialised care, and will be transferred to either an LNU or SCU for ongoing support and preparing towards discharge.

Moving neonatal units can cause uncertainty and fear for families, which is understandable, but the neonatal teams at all of our units will be able to support you through this journey and answer any questions you may have. As a region we all work collaboratively to support our babies and families, to ensure they are getting the right care in the right place.

Welcome to the
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Neonatal Operational
Delivery Network

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Welcome to the North West Neonatal Operational Delivery Network

About the Network

What We Do

Our Units

Find a Unit

Network Events

Events and Education

NWNODN Airway Study Day

NWNODN Outreach Study Day

Stabilisation and Optimisation of Newborn Infant Course (SONIC)

In Numbers

From 1st April 2024 to 30th March 2025 we had:

What our Parents Say

Your Questions Answered

Your Questions Answered

Network News

Keep up to date

Our Affiliates

NWNODN is affiliated to

Working with

We Work in Collaboration With

Welcome to the
North West
Neonatal Operational
Delivery Network