Neonatology Training in East Midlands North

The East Midlands (North) Deanery has an excellent training programme in Neonatology. This spans across the range of trainees who have a special interest to those who wish to do Grid Training in Neonatal Medicine.

The Deanery training programme gives ample opportunities to acquire experience in Neonatology

• 6 months + 6 months at ST1-3 levels
• 6 months during core training in ST4-5 years
• For those who wish to do more and develop a special interest there are plenty of opportunities to work in either of the two level 3 units in Nottingham

Nottingham University Hospitals

The Nottingham Neonatal Service caters to about 10,000 births per year and provides tertiary care to another 23,000 births as it is the lead service for the Trent Perinatal Network. This busy work load gives the trainees in the region a wonderful opportunity to train in the Neonatology.

The service is split into two large Neonatal Intensive Care Units:

1. Queens Medical Centre
   1. On this site, there is provision for full Neonatal Medical and Surgical Intensive Care. The intensive care cots are heaving with babies of various gestations with a large range of medical and surgical problems. As Nottingham is a large centre for Neurosurgery and Nephrology, babies with problems pertaining to these specialties come from other regions too and add to the repertoire of learning opportunities for the trainees.
2. Nottingham City Hospital
   1. The NICU at City Hospital also offers the full range of Medical and Surgical Intensive Care for neonates and is an excellent place to train in a state of the art, friendly Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Neonatal Transport

The Trainees in Nottingham also participate in the Neonatal Transport service "CenTre" that caters to large area across Trent and Central Newborn Networks allowing us to be involved in numerous enlightening adventures in ambulances.

Allied Specialties

On both sites, opportunities for training include attending clinics and other sessions with experts in Feto-maternal medicine, Clinical Genetics, Neurodevelopmental Paediatrics, Audiology, Ophthalmology and others among the extensive range of specialists working in NUH.

Neonatal Medicine in DGHs

In our Deanery, training in Neonatology is highly cultivated in the DGHs. Derby Royal Hospital has a large, modern Neonatal Unit which has provision for a dedicated ST4/5 post that is recognised for Core Training in Neonatology. The training here is hugely facilitated by dedicated Neonatal Consultants and a plethora of clinical and management training opportunities. It has been the stepping stone for several Grid Trainees in the recent years and is a great place to hone your neonatal skills.

All the other hospitals also have neonatal experience attached to the Paediatric jobs and provide a great avenue for experiencing a flavour of Neonatal Medicine.

The Trent Perinatal Network

The Trent Perinatal Network is another great opportunity for expanding your experience and working with the Network team is both encouraged and facilitated by the Trainers in all the units in the Deanery.

Academic Neonatology

Nottingham has expertise in research in perinatal physiology, neonatal biology, Neonatal nutrition and the relationship of perinatal events to long term outcomes which are all areas of fascinating and innovative research. Research opportunities are available to all trainees within or outside the Academic training programme and the University of Nottingham is a great venue for those aspiring to higher academic qualifications.

Grid Training in Neonatology

The East Midlands (North) Grid post is highly coveted among those wanting to do the Neonatal Grid. The Grid training here includes one year in Nottingham (in either City Hospital or Queen’s Medical Centre) and one year in Leicester or Sheffield. This enables trainees to acquire a wide range of experience and gives a flavour of working in several different large centres.

The training is boosted by the Trent Neonatal Trainees Training Days which are regularly organised (6-8/year) among the training units in Nottingham, Leicester, Sheffield and Leeds. This is a unique programme of interaction among the Grid Trainees from all these regions and is a platform for sharing of experiences, ideas and expertise along with giving the trainees access to teaching in all the centres in the region.