Nominated for Team of the Year Award

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – EASTERN

The team have worked so incredibly hard to continue to provide a high level of care and support for our patients and their families during really challenging times. With patient numbers on the rise and staff shortages the team have pulled together to ensure we are able to remain open and offering a high quality service. Many members of the team working longer hours or staying later than rostered to ensure the team is well supported, and the unit can run safely.
The team work tirelessly to provide a level of care that supports families to be together on the unit during stressful and worrying times including offering sibling sessions and activities to help relieve pressure on parents when visiting with siblings and allowing time for them to be together as a family.
As a unit we strive for our families to be supported, together and involved in their babies care wherever possible and are one of very few units across the country to be platinum accredited by bliss for our high level of family centred care, ensuring families can stay with their baby on the unit, also accommodating for siblings to stay on the unit so families don’t need to be separated, providing meals and laundry services and teaching parents how to meet their babies needs.
Our staff members have also taken on extra training to be able to offer more services to our families such as baby massage and breast feeding support groups which families have benefited from, some staff members doing the training in their own time to ensure extra services can be provided.
As a team we have strong links and communications with SALT , PHYSIOS and counciling services to ensure all of our patients and their families needs are met as quickly as possibly.

Once again this department excels above all expectations. It has such an incredible team spirit amongst all staff which leads to the highest level of clinical care along side delivering the utmost compassion and support for families who are experiencing extremely difficult journeys. Not only has this team upheld the highest standards, year on year but this year has raised over £5000 for external charities including Newborns Vietnam. New nursing staff and paediatric trainees feel immediately welcomed and supported by the established team. The unit recently won a Gopi Menon BAPM award for team of the year due to innovation for family centred care. The team are consistently driving to improve which is seen in the fantastic buy in for the regular simulation sessions. There are many inspirational nursing and medical leaders but the reality of success is achieved by the flattened hierarchy within the department
I am incredibly proud to be part of this team.

Honestly the best examples of all staff groups that I have seen, with so many occasions I have witnessed people stepping up or going above and beyond to offer a helping hand where they wouldn’t necessarily have to.
Consultants coming in to support from other areas or home, Doctors offering to help with cares and support how they can, Nurses and HCAs anticipating the needs of patients, and all the other members of the MDT including Pharmacy, SLT, Nutrition, and Admin. The unit also has a great working relationship with the Obstetric and Midwifery teams that has a positive impact on how we deliver care for our patients and families.
I have seen daily examples of how the team works together to provide excellent care and support each other both clinically and personally. The whole team also seems to spend its spare time coming up with ways in which we can improve our service.

Exeter NNU team is the place I never want to leave! Working with such an amazing group of people is extremely rewarding. Each and everyone of team members strive to be the best at their job and provide families with the best of care. All parts of MDT team are treating each other with respect and decision are made taking into account everyone’s point of view. Team members are compassionate towards families and are addressing not only their babies medical needs but are always ready to provide support in other challenges that our NNU families face.

Outstanding team with lots of compassion and great teamwork.

Never have I worked somewhere so friendly and inviting as Exeter NNU. This department is absolutely fantastic! No matter what your job role is, no matter how much experience you have, your opinion is always valued and you are always viewed as an equal member of the team. Thank you to the nurses, the doctors, the HCAs, the SALT team, the physios, the pharmacists…the list goes on! It has been an absolute privilege to work within this supportive department, and I have learnt so much

During my time working on the Neonatal Unit I have felt nothing but supported by all members of the multidisciplinary team, as a fairly junior staff member this has been vital for my learning. I have experienced and been part of some very difficult situations and shifts and throughout these events I’ve witnessed the team pull together; HCA’s, nurses, medical team and non clinical staff chipping in to do jobs and roles that they wouldn’t normally do to ensure we deliver the highest possible quality of care and provide family integrated care throughout every decision we make. I feel privileged to be part of such a hard working team and am so proud of all the achievements and awards our unit has won in recent years as we continue to strive to deliver excellent neonatal care.

I am honoured to be part of the most incredible team, I feel a team is exactly what we are, no matter what, the team support each other, value each other, and respect each other. They all advocate for the families and Young children they care for, and they are at the centre of everything we do. The whole team are always looking for every opportunity to learn and make things as supportive, and family centred as the team possibly can.

Exeter Neonatal Unit is a truly special team and I feel lucky to be a part of it.
The cohesion within the team is like no other. From consultants down to domestic staff, it is one unit, all working together to provide the best possible care for babies and their families.
They go above and beyond to reach high standards; they are the only Neonatal Unit in the South West to have been awarded the Platinum Bliss Accreditation.
Family integrated care is pivotal to the work they do and the feedback from parents is extremely positive.
There is a great culture of learning and development, from both the nursing and medical teams. There is enthusiasm to be involved in research and to constantly seek ways to improve the care they deliver.

Fantastic teams working in a challenging year. At every level colleagues are willing to help each other for the benefit of their patients as well as the team. Working together seems to be at the heart of the unit driving the high standards of care and new ideas.

This is such an incredible team to be a part of. Supportive, welcoming and inclusive. This year particularly has illuminated the unique collaborative dynamic that exists between all members of the nursing, medical and non clinical teams with a mutual respect for what each contribute to the care we deliver and the outcomes we strive for with the families we work with. All members of staff – the NNU assistants, ward clerks, nurses, junior 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 at all times. I wouldn’t want to work with any other team.

It’s not often you come across a group of people who consistently try to build each other up whilst striving for perfection in patient care. This is a team that very effectively pulls together in a crisis, supports each other emotionally when needed, then has a good laugh over coffee when time allows. There is honestly no other team that I would rather be a part of and I feel very privileged to call RD&E NNU my home away from home.

The neonatal unit at Exeter is a fantastic team to work for. The team provides excellent care for babies, treats families with kindness and compassion and tries to promote family centred and holistic care. The team focusses on areas such as neurodevelopment, cuddles and involving parents as much as possible whilst also providing great medical care.

I began working on the unit with no prior neonatal experience and everyone made the time to support me and help me learn from their experiences. The team was happy to assist me whether that was coming to deliveries until I felt confident or sharing their experience.

The team works hard to support each other after difficult experiences with hot and cold debrief opportunities. There are opportunities to bond as a team outside of work.

As a staff member of the neonatal team in Exeter, I can proudly say that we excel in this category. Our priority is to ensure a safe environment for both our staff and patients, and we provide exceptional care to the families as a whole. We prioritize breastfeeding and developmental support for all babies, making us the top choice in this area. Our doctors, nurses, and multidisciplinary teams are highly knowledgeable and well-trained.

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