Neonatal unit regains Level 2 baby care status

A neonatal unit has regained approval to care for some of the region's most premature babies, following improvements in staffing and training.

After a downgrade in September 2023, the unit at Kettering General Hospital has now been fully reapproved to operate as a Level 2 Local Neonatal Unit.

This meant staff can once again care for babies born after 27 weeks of gestation, or 28 weeks for multiple births, who weigh more than 800 grams.

Julie Hogg, University Hospitals of Northamptonshire chief nurse, said: "We are committed to ensuring our neonatal unit delivers the best possible care to babies and families in our local community and ensuring that care is tailored to their needs."

The unit was temporarily downgraded to Level 1 in 2023, which meant it could only care for babies born after 32 weeks.

Babies born earlier or who were very sick had to be sent to specialist Level 3 units.

This decision was made after regular safety checks and staff feedback showed the unit needed more senior doctors and extra training.

Since then, the hospital has made several important improvements, including hiring two neonatal consultants, a lead nurse for governance, a data analyst, and seven additional nurses.

Staff also took part in extra training sessions, including team-based practice for emergencies like resuscitation and managing breathing problems.

Leadership at the unit has also been strengthened, and links with regional neonatal care networks have been improved.

More than 70% of the nurses were fully trained to care for very premature and unwell babies, meeting national standards set by the British Association of Perinatal Medicine.

Ms Hogg added: "Once again, we are able to deliver intensive care, high dependency care, and special care to babies born after 27 weeks of gestation or 28 weeks if a multiple birth.

"I want to take this opportunity to thank our teams for all of the dedicated work and effort that has gone into achieving the improvements that have enabled us to start delivering level 2 care once again."

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