Neonatal Unit, Exeter
Exeter Neonatal Unit (NNU) sits within the Women’s and Child Health Care Group. We have close links with our maternity colleagues to provide a perinatal service for families; from conception to birth and beyond.
We are a Level 2 unit, which means we care for babies who need extra monitoring, treatment or support after birth, but who do not usually require the most intensive specialist care. We have 26 cots which provide different levels of care depending on your baby’s needs.
We regularly admit and care for:
- Babies born from 27 weeks of pregnancy onwards
- Babies born early (premature) who need help with breathing, feeding, or keeping warm
- Babies with breathing difficulties, including those who need oxygen or non-invasive respiratory support
- Babies who are small or have low birth weight
- Babies with infections
- Babies who need help with feeding, including tube feeding
- Babies with jaundice requiring phototherapy
- Babies needing close observation following a difficult birth or medical concerns identified shortly after delivery.
If a baby needs more complex or intensive specialist care, such as advanced ventilation or surgery, we work closely with regional Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) such as Bristol or Plymouth, to ensure babies are transferred safely and quickly to the most appropriate place.
Whenever possible, we aim to:
- Avoid unnecessary separation by caring for babies alongside their parents where possible
- Keep babies close to home
- Involve parents fully in their baby’s care
Support families practically and emotionally as well as medically