Special Care Baby Unit

Special Care Baby Unit

The Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at The Royal Surrey Foundation Trust is part of the South East Coast Operational Delivery Network (SEC ODN). We provide neonatal care for babies born at 32 weeks gestation and over, or birth weight of 1000g or more. We are able to provide stabilisation and/or resuscitation for newborn babies of all gestations. 

The unit has 10 cots which consist of four High Dependency and six Special Care. If babies require more intensive care or are born outside of our admission criteria, we will support them until transfer to a specialist centre can be arranged. 

The majority of babies are admitted to Nursery 1 for initial assessment and management. Any baby requiring high dependency or intensive care will be looked after in this room. Nursery 2 is the special care nursery where babies are cared for when they no longer require intensive/high-dependency support, and when they need to grow and establish feeds prior to discharge. We have a cubicle for babies returning to the unit from other hospitals.

We have a team of specially trained neonatal nurses consisting of Nurse Consultant, Nursing Sisters, Staff Nurses, Nursery Nurses and Clinical Neonatal Support Workers caring for your baby 24 hours a day. We also have a team of doctors including Paediatric Consultants, Associate Specialists, Specialist Registrars, and junior doctors. The medical care for your baby will be supervised by one of our Paediatric Consultants. You might meet other staff members who will/may help care for your baby. They include: Paediatric Pharmacists, Paediatric Physiotherapists, Dieticians, Ophthalmologists, Radiographers, Maternity Support Workers, Hearing Screen technicians, Feeding support advisors and Midwives.

We have a photo display of our staff in the reception area, so you can see which team members are on shifts. Additionally, there is a named board at your baby's cot showing the nurse caring for your baby, your preferred names, baby's siblings and your baby's consultant.

We recognise that it can be worrying if your baby is admitted to SCBU.  Although your baby is in need of medical and nursing care, you are a very important part of their life. Our aim is to work with parents as partners in care. We encourage you to be with your baby for as long as, and often as you wish. We promote skin-to-skin cuddles with both parents.

On admission, you will be given an admission pack containing helpful resources for you and your family, including a parent information leaflet and guidance on early infant feeding, as well as a colostrum pack where appropriate.

Where possible, we encourage mothers to be with their baby at all times. Once you have been discharged from the maternity ward, we have a comfortable chair next to your baby’s cot that converts into a bed. We will provide bed linen and blankets during your stay. We will also provide breakfast, hot meals and snacks whilst you are staying-in with your baby.

We encourage you to participate in the care of your baby as much as possible, e.g. feeding, nappy changing, and top and tail washing. The nursing staff will support and assist you in caring for your baby. In order to do these cares, we will ask you to provide cotton wool balls and nappies.

For more information, please click the link to our virtual tour and video tour. Please note that the video tour was recorded during the pandemic, so some aspects of the environment or processes may have changed since then, including current infection guidance. We do not require the use of masks on the unit, and parents and baby's siblings are welcome at all times.

You can read more about our visiting restrictions here.

Direct line: 01483 464 834

Hospital telephone: 01483 571 122

Extension: 4701/6378

Level G, opposite St. Catherine’s Ward.