Why does my baby need follow up?
We follow up babies in our neonatal clinic for a variety of reasons. This may be because they are born earlier than expected, unwell after birth, growth restricted (where the baby is smaller than expected for the stage of the mother’s pregnancy) or related to infection. There may also be other times where follow up is deemed necessary by the neonatal consultant looking after your baby (such as feeding difficulty or heart problems) or due to a condition detected in pregnancy or during their routine baby check (heart murmur). If your baby requires follow up, a member of staff will explain this to you before leaving the hospital.
How does the appointment system work?
On admission to the neonatal unit we will have taken your contact details, including a phone number and home address. At the point of discharge, you will receive a letter about your baby’s neonatal stay; this includes their plan for clinic follow up and may include a future appointment date and time. This information will also be sent to the GP. In the weeks following discharge, you will receive confirmatory details of your clinic appointment either through Patient Hub or a letter through the post to your home address.
If your contact details change at any time, then please let us know.
If you need to change or cancel your child’s appointment for any reason, please utilise Patient Hub. Further information about this can be found online at Appointments on Patient Hub (leedsth.nhs.uk).
If you need to contact us for any other reason, then please call the neonatal secretaries on 0113 392 6576 or
0113 206 5382.
What to do before your appointment?
You will have been provided with a telephone, video or face to face appointment. All face to face appointments will be located in the Children’s outpatient department in Martin Wing (C Floor), but please check your appointment letter and the Patient Hub carefully to make sure you know where to go. A map can be found below (entrance number 11).
Please bring your baby’s red book (personal child health record) with you to the appointment.
If you have any questions about your child’s condition or treatment, we would encourage you to write these down and bring them along with you to discuss with the team. Feeding and nappy changing facilities are available; however you would need to bring your own nappies and milk with you.
What will happen during your appointment?
Patients are seen in order of appointment time and not order of arrival.
- If you are attending in person, then once you have been booked in at reception you will meet a member of our nursing staff who will measure your baby’s weight and length. You will then be asked take a seat in the waiting room. It would be helpful if you could attend your appointment approximately 15 minutes early so there is enough time to do this.
- If you have a telephone appointment, then please ensure you will be available on your specified contact number or inform us of an alternative number.
- If you are being reviewed via video consultation, then you should have been provided with details to enter the virtual waiting room. This will require an email address.
Although we aim to keep to time, there may be delays where patients are unexpectedly complex. If this is the case then staff will aim to keep you informed.
Your baby will be reviewed by a neonatal consultant, neonatal registrar or ANNP (Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner). This is an opportunity to assess your baby’s feeding and development, as well as discuss any specific conditions your baby may have.
Sometimes your child may need a blood test, if this is the case we will direct you to the phlebotomy department, where one of our specially trained phlebotomists will take a small sample of blood. The procedure is generally quick but you may have a short wait to be seen by a phlebotomist.
If you are attending the neonatal cardiology clinic then an echocardiogram will also be performed. Your baby may have previously had one of these while on the neonatal unit.
The clinic does not replace your child’s primary care provider; you will still need to take your baby to the GP who will provide routine care such as immunisations and health assessment.
What will happen after your appointment?
After the appointment, your child will either be discharged from the clinic, or we will arrange a further follow up appointment if needed. This will be discussed with you during the clinic.
After the appointment, you will receive a letter in the post, containing information about your child’s assessment. This letter will also be sent to your GP, and any other specialists or health care professionals involved in your child’s care in the community.
If you have further questions after the clinic, the letter will also have a contact number for you to call.