Monash Newborn

Monash Newborn provides exceptional care and treatment for sick and premature babies across Melbourne’s south-east at four hospital locations:

• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) – Monash Children’s Hospital, Clayton
• Special Care Nursery – Casey Hospital
• Special Care Nursery – Dandenong Hospital
• Special Care Nursery – Sandringham Hospital

Monash Newborn at the Monash Children’s Hospital is a Level 6b unit and the largest of the five Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) in Victoria, providing both surgical and perinatal care to full-term and premature babies. The service provides a full range of medical and surgical subspecialty care for newborns, with the exception only of cardiac surgery. Some babies may have had medical conditions identified before birth by our Fetal Diagnostic Unit and require medical or surgical intervention before and after birth.

Our experienced teams of neonatologists (neonatal paediatricians), neonatal nurses and allied health staff deliver 24-hour specialist care to ensure the best possible outcomes for the 1,500 babies admitted every year.

Monash Newborn at the Monash Children’s Hospital has been designed to deliver family-centred healthcare based on a partnership between parents, care teams and the extended family. The rooms have space and privacy for families, and enable families to actively participate in the care of their baby. There are also designated family areas and facilities including ‘rooming in’ rooms where the family can stay overnight or longer before taking their baby home.

The babies in Monash Newborn at the Monash Children’s Hospital may have been born at Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, but some come from other hospitals, regional areas and occasionally other states. Many babies arrive via the Paediatric Infant Perinatal Emergency Retrieval (PIPER) service which transfers very sick newborns and infants between hospitals in Victoria.

Following birth and admission to Monash Newborn, parents receive a discharge or transfer plan for their baby and may also be referred to other specialist services.

Discharge planning may include transfer to one of our Special Care Nursery units for ongoing care that is closer to home for our families.

After discharge, selected groups of babies receive follow-up care in Monash Health outpatient clinics, including at our special Early Neurodevelopmental Clinic, and Growth and Development Clinic which focuses on the first two years of life.

Monash Newborn provides an excellent training experience for medical fellows in neonatal medicine, and is accredited by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians for the maximum two years for both perinatal and surgical care. We also provide training to Neonatal Nurse Practitioner candidates, and Clinical Nurse Specialists.

Co-located with the Department of Paediatrics at Monash University and the Ritchie Centre, Monash Newborn provides unique opportunities for translational research, with a team of clinician-scientists leading ground-breaking clinical trials within the unit, and opportunities for fellows and nursing staff to undertake higher degrees in neonatal and perinatal medicine.

Service Medical Director Lindsay Zhou: (03) 8572 3650
Operations Manager Kate Duthie: (03) 8572 3650

• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) – Monash Children’s Hospital, Clayton: (03) 8572 3600
• Special Care Nursery – Casey Hospital: (03) 8768 1825 or (03) 8768 1819
• Special Care Nursery – Dandenong Hospital: 0498 197 073
• Special Care Nursery – Sandringham Hospital: (03) 9076 1572

For enquiries, please contact the numbers listed above or email MonashNewbornAdmin@monashhealth.org