Nominated for Team of the Year

Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital

“This is one of the most cohesive teams I have ever worked in. The care for the babies is truly multidisciplinary with very few boundaries or barriers between the nursing, medical and AHP teams. The nursing peer to peer support is second to none and this is reflected in a fantastically friendly environment on a day-to-day basis. It is a really fun place to work but when there is a sick baby the team run like a machine to deliver optimal care. They are one of the leading units in the country for baby friendly care, having just been awarded platinum award by BLISS. It truly is a phenomenal MDT that works hard and plays hard. The cohesion is seen in the number of professionals from the unit, who want to celebrate together at the Christmas party. I couldn’t be prouder to be part of this team
Award winning team. International winners for kangaroo care. Only team to receive national platinum bfi award. Strong management leadership who facilitate every team member to excel in their individual roles to meet the needs of the children and families under their care. Excellent partnership working with families.
Exeter Neonatal Unit are constantly striving to deliver high standards of family-centred care. This is reflected by their recent achievements of Bliss platinum accreditation and the BAPM Outstanding Team award. The entire neonatal team demonstrate great communication and work collaboratively to ensure excellent care.
It is such a pleasure to work within this dynamic and supportive team. All members of staff, from the NNU assistants, ward clerks, nurses, doctors to consultants show amazing dedication to the commitment of providing high standards of care while keeping the baby and their family at the centre.
“”Multidisciplinary team that strives to give the best care family friendly patient centred cared. Medics, nurses, HCAs, admin team and support staff all work tirelessly together that no matter how stretched the work may seem they work together, chipping in with roles that they can each help with to ensure the family get the best care.
Keeping families together even in the most difficult times and then supporting each other after hard cases. Working & learning together, shared coffee room, joint handovers & ward rounds building the team that enables it to function and grow.””
The nicest team to work in. The cooperation between nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals is amazing. That results in extremely high levels of care provided for babies and there families. Everybody feels welcomed and thrives while working in Exeter NNU.
Exeter Neonatal Unit have a truely amazing team who continues to strive hard to provide exemplary care to babies and their families. They have embraced true Family Centred care, receiving Gold BFI and Platinum BLISS accreditation. Even Covid hasn’t knocked their desire to push boundaries and keep babies and their families together. They quickly developed a safe Covid Hot Area during the pandemic. This innovative step forward has allowed Covid positive parents to remain with their baby with minimal to no separation. Family centred Care is embedded in both the hearts of the staff and the walls of the unit.
“”Exeter neonatal unit is a phenomenal team.
They embody all that it means to be a truly exemplary team. They hold the baby & family in all that they do, it isn’t always easy and there may be debate & discussion, disagreement & discourse but solutions are found and everyone enabled to have their views seen & heard.
Every single member will have their voice heard and of course the parent voice is always central. The way they sort solutions, problem solved to enable families to stay together throughout covid is second to none. Three words to describe them: safe, kind and dedicated. “”
The Exeter Neoonatal Unit team is the best I have ever worked in. The management is dedicated to the wellbeing of its staff and this translates down to a team who want to be there and do the best job possible. The feedback we have recieved from parents is so positive and reassuring that excellent care is delivered by the whole team to all patients and families. Everyone is so supportive of eachother, when shifts need swapping, when new people start, when working with agency staff, when shifts need covering and even when needing to be sent to other wards. On extremely busy shifts there is always a real sense of everyone pulling together and helping eachother. It is an absolutely exceptional team.
“”I feel privileged to work within this amazing team. Everyone is supportive of one another whatever their role.The team works together to be adaptable in busy times to help share the work load and ensure the best care possible is provided to babies and their families.
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“”Exeter have faced lots of challenges this year, including massive staff changes and no let up in the crazy business of the unit, often managing tricky shifts that are understaffed or with not enough specialised nurses to cover.
Despite this, the quality of care given to families is still of the highest standard. Nothing is too much trouble and staff put everything into ensuring compassionate care is provided every single day. We have managed to achieve our BLISS platinum award, despite challenges faced throughout covid and can proudly say that all parents are able to stay with their baby throughout their entire stay, should they wish. We have fought to keep families together throughout covid by having a hot area within the unit, so covid positive parents can stay with their babies.

The entire NNU team makes it easy to go to work and I wouldn’t want to be working alongside any other team. “”
By far the best team that I have ever worked in – truly multidisciplinary and fully supportive of each other. Nursing, medical students and trainees consistently comment on the learning opportunities, teaching and support received. The team is led by experienced clinicians and nursing colleagues who continually support staff in caring for babies and families in the best possible way. Well done everyone.
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Exeter NNU are a really special team who provide exceptional care to their patients. They provide developmental care and work hard to keep mother and baby dyads together and supporting the use of early breastmilk through supporting feeding (Gold accreditation for Baby Friendly Initiative) and donor milk. They further the care of infants though their involvement in clinical trials such as SURF-ON, FEED1, and developmental care/neurology trials and foster an environment of improvement. During the Covid pandemic they worked tirelessly to keep mother-baby dyads together, winning a BAPM joint Outstanding Team award this year for these efforts and creating an ITU level care room within a previously parent bedroom away from the main ITU space. They have recently been accredited Platinum by Bliss for the exceptional care that they provide.

As a trainee, it’s a brilliant place to work with an extremely motivated and competent multiprofessional team who are supportive and keen to help you learn. It feels amazing to work as part of such a cohesive team who put babies and families at the heart of everything they do. I wish every unit could be like this!

Amazing teamwork, supports each other. Diverse team.

An excellent place to train and to work. The consultant, junior doctors, ANNP and senior nurses and staff nurses a special people
who are approachable, brilliant teachers and supportive, who continually strive to improve both patient care and training opportunities. NEONATAL unit in Devon and Exeter Hospital deserves the recognition and this award due to its efforts in making the department the very best it can be.””
“”The neonatal team in Exeter has been such a wonderful place to work. As a new ST1 trainee who has not previously done paediatrics or neonates, starting training was daunting but I have always felt so well supported by the neonatal team. The nursing staff are so skilled and highly knowledgeable and are always willing to share this knowledge and support junior team members. The ANNPS and senior doctors are incredible, highly approachable and very keen to support juniors to develop their skills and knowledge. The whole MDT including pharmacists, nursing assistants, sonographers, feeding coordinators etc. are wonderful, come togehter to give exemplary care and are very keen to teach and support juniors doctors.

The team really values education and teaching, there are multiple protected teaching sessions a week alongside simulation, radiology meetings and neonatal teaching. As well as formal teaching every patient encounter is treated as a chance for trainees to learn.

The team works really hard to advocate for babies and their families, and I have seen exeplary care delivered by all team members. From palliative care to acute emergencies the team always gives their all.

The team really values wellbeing and works hard to help people take breaks, finish on time and socialise outside of work. Often of it’s been a busy shift someone will notice if I haven’t taken a break and will help prioritise that. Small acts of kindness like a cup of tea or a snack are a regular occurrence. If there have been challenging cases at work people will ensure there is time to debrief or if someone is struggling they will go out of their way to give them space to talk and time to take a break if needed.

It has been a wonderful place to start my training. ”

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