Research and training

Neonatal Research Unit

The Neonatal Research Unit based at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is led by Professor Neena Modi of Imperial College London. The Research Unit has three broad areas of activity undertaken by clinical and non-clinical researchers, BSc and postgraduate students and administrative staff.

• A multidisciplinary team is researching body composition and metabolism, including how nutrition during pregnancy and early infancy may influence long term health.
• The Neonatal Data Analysis Unit (NDAU) analyses data from neonatal electronic records from across the country, promoting their optimal use and facilitating research. The NDAU also analyses data for the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health National Neonatal Audit Programme.
• Chelsea and Westminster is the lead neonatal unit for several clinical trials which are investigating the benefits of new treatment options for babies, including those born very preterm.

Education team

The Education Team plays a vital role in training and development of all staff on the neonatal unit. New starters undertake the unit’s specialised orientation in addition to attending the trust’s orientation programme. They are given a competency package which allows them (whilst working with their mentors) to achieve basic clinical skills and knowledge in order to deliver optimal nursing care.

As part of the staff continuing professional development the unit runs both in-house service training and external courses designed to meet the career pathway needs of all staff. We work in partnership with Thames Valley University and London South Bank University for nurses to undertake their BSc in neonatal nursing. We also facilitate management development for senior nursing staff.

Medical students

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is one of the major teaching hospitals for medical students enrolled at Imperial College. Students spend a week working on the neonatal unit in their penultimate year of training, when they will learn about care of the well newborn baby as well as the common health problems encountered by term and preterm infants.