The Neonatal Unit consist of 29 beds and is the designated referral site for high risk, complicated
deliveries including antenatally diagnosed foetal abnormalities in the Central and Eastern Tshwane district. The mothers therefore present with a wide range of obstetric and medical problems. In addition to ill inborn infants, sick babies are transferred from the regional service.

Sick neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit are vulnerable and in order to provide them with optimal care, it is vital to know their health profile and the current quality of care they receive. For this reason The Steve Biko Academic Hospital Neonatal Database and Clinical Audit: Quality Improvement for Neonatal Care was started in 2011.

Data related to perinatal care is being collected at all the maternal and neonatal services in the area using the Perinatal Problem Identification Programme. Thus perinatal indices (perinatal, neonatal mortality rates, low birth weight rate), patterns of disease and modifiable factors are known.

Follow-up clinics

High risk baby clinic

Outreach

To referral hospitals – Tshwane District Hospital and Mamelodi Hospital

Courses

• Neonatal Resuscitation Courses offered together with the Johnson and Johnson Group.
• Implementation of different projects to improve the quality of care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
• Prevention of hypothermia on admission to NICU
• Cord blood pH for identification and grading of birth asphyxia
• Improvement of data collection
• Use of human breast milk and breast milk banking in the unit
• Prevention of nosocomial infection
• Best care practices: CLABSI
• Therapeutic hypothermia for improvement of outcome for babies with HIE

Staff

• Consultants: Prof TW de Witt; Dr LG Lloyd; Dr A Colquhoun
• Registrars: On rotation – 3
• Interns: 2-3

Protocols

• Protocol for screening and management of suspected neonatal sepsis