darent valley maternity virtual tour

Darent Valley Hospital

The Delivery Suite consists of a reception area with comfortable seating for women and their birthing partners. There are eight delivery rooms, included in this are one high dependency room and one birth pool room, two obstetric theatres and a two-bedded recovery room.

Contact information

Address: Darent Valley Hospital Darenth Wood Road Dartford Kent DA2 8DA

Tel:  24-hour Maternity Assessment Unit  -  01322 428280  or  01322 428278

Website: Maternity :: Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust (dgt.nhs.uk)

Facebook: Darent Valley Hospital Maternity | Dartford | Facebook

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Darent Valley Hospital Maternity services

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Information supplied by Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

Unit Information

Click on the hospitals below to find out more about the units within our network and to view each unit’s individual website. To find out more about where each unit is situated across our region, you can also visit our interactive map.

Thames Valley and Wessex

John radcliffe hospital nicu.

John Radcliffe Hospital NICU Headley Way Headington Oxford OX3 9DU

Visit Trust website

The unit is a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with neonatal surgery. Babies cared for are:

• below 27+0 weeks
• below 800 grams
• below 28+0 week gestation twins
• below 30+0 week gestation multiples of 3+
• Any neonate needing intensive care i.e. ventilation > 48 hours and/or whose condition is deteriorating, therapeutic hypothermia or specialist or complex care

For more information for families who have a baby or babies on the neonatal unit view the unit Padlet here: View John Radcliffe NICU Padlet

Milton Keynes Hospital LNU

Milton Keynes Hospital LNU Standing Way Eaglestone Milton Keynes MK6 5LD

The unit is a Local Neonatal Unit (LNU). Babies cared for are:

• over 27 weeks gestation
• over 800gms
• over 28 weeks gestation twins
• over 30 weeks gestation multiples 3+
• short term neonatal intensive care i.e. ventilation
• high dependency care

For more information for families who have a baby or babies on the neonatal unit view the unit Padlet here: View Milton Keynes LNU Padlet

Wexham Park Hospital LNU

Wexham Park Hospital LNU Wexham Street Slough SL2 4HL

Royal Berkshire Hospital LNU

Royal Berkshire Hospital LNU London Road Reading RG1 5AN

Stoke Mandeville Hospital LNU

Stoke Mandeville Hospital LNU Mandeville Road Aylesbury HP21 8AL

Princess Anne Hospital NICU

Princess Anne Hospital NICU Coxford Road Southampton SO16 5YA

The unit is a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with neonatal and cardiac surgery. Babies cared for are:

• any neonate needing intensive care i.e. ventilation > 48 hours and/or whose condition is deteriorating, therapeutic hypothermia or specialist or complex care

Queen Alexandra Hospital NICU

Queen Alexandra Hospital NICU Cosham Portsmouth PO6 3LY

The unit is a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Babies cared for are:

Poole Hospital LNU

Poole Hospital LNU part of University Hospitals Dorset Longfleet Road Poole BH15 2JB

Please follow the link below to take a tour of the Poole Neonatal Unit.  Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from the front door to, and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly:

Poole Neonatal Unit Video Tour

Trigger warning !

If you are a parent or carer and wish to use the virtual tours to explore the neonatal unit where your baby was cared for, please make sure you are in a safe space and feel emotionally ready to revisit the unit. Some parents have told us that revisiting the unit, even years down the line, can bring back emotional memories, so please take care.

Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital SCU

Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital SCU (temporary designation) Aldermaston Rd Basingstoke RG24 9NA

The unit is a Special Care Unit (SCU) (temporary designation). Babies cared for are:

• over 30 weeks singletons
• over 1000 gms
• over 31 weeks multiples
• short term intensive care i.e. ventilation (24 hours)

For more information for families who have a baby or babies on the neonatal unit view the unit Padlet here: View Basingstoke SCU Padlet

Royal Hampshire County Hospital SCU

Royal Hampshire County Hospital SCU (temporary designation) Romsey Rd Winchester SO22 5DG

Salisbury District Hospital LNU

Salisbury District Hospital LNU Odstock Rd Salisbury SP2 8BJ

St Richard’s Hospital SCU

St Richard’s Hospital SCU Spitalfield Lane Chichester PO19 6SE

The unit is a Special Care Unit (SCU). Babies cared for are:

• over 32 weeks gestation
• over 1250gms

Dorset County Hospital SCU

Dorset County Hospital SCU Williams Avenue Dorchester DT1 2JY

St Mary’s Hospital, Isle of Wight SCU

St Mary’s Hospital SCU Parkhurst Road Newport PO30 5TG

• over 34 weeks gestation multiples

Kent, Surrey and Sussex

Medway hospital nicu.

Medway Hospital NICU Windmill Road Gillingham Kent ME7 5NY

Oliver Fisher Baby Care Unit (medway.nhs.uk)

Please follow the link below to take a tour of the Oliver Fisher Neonatal Unit.  Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from the front door to, and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly:

Oliver Fisher Neonatal Unit Video Tour

Trigger warning

Darent Valley Hospital SCU

Darent Valley Hospital SCU Darenth Wood Road Dartford Kent DA2 8DA

Special Care Baby Unit :: Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust (dgt.nhs.uk)

Please follow the link below to take a tour of the Darent Valley Special Care Baby Unit.  Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from the front door to, and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly:

Darent Valley Special Care Baby Unit Video Tour

Tunbridge Wells Hospital LNU

Tunbridge Wells Hospital LNU Tonbridge Road Pembury Tunbridge Wells Kent TN2 4QJ

Neonatal Unit – Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (mtw.nhs.uk)

Please follow the link below to take a tour of the Tunbridge Wells Neonatal Unit.  Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from the front door to, and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly:

Tunbridge Wells Neonatal Unit Video Tour

William Harvey Hospital NICU

William Harvey Hospital NICU Kennington Road Ashford Kent TN24 0LZ

Neonatal care at William Harvey – East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (ekhuft.nhs.uk)

Please follow the link below to take a tour of William Harvey Neonatal Unit.  Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from the front door to, and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly:

William Harvey Hospital Neonatal Unit Video Tour

The Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital SCU

The Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother SCU St Peter’s Road Margate Kent CT9 4AN

Special Care Baby Unit QEQM – East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (ekhuft.nhs.uk)

Please follow the link below to take a tour of the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Special Care Baby Unit.  Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from the front door to, and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly:

QEQM Special Care Baby Unit Video Tour

St Peter’s Hospital NICU

St Peter’s Hospital NICU Guildford Road Surrey KT16 0PZ

Welcome to NICU (ashfordstpeters.nhs.uk)

Please follow the link below to take a tour of the St Peter’s Hospital Neonatal Unit.  Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from the front door to, and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly:

Ashford St Peter’s Neonatal Unit Video Tour

East Surrey Hospital LNU

East Surrey Hospital LNU Redhill Surrey RH1 5RH

Neonatal unit :: Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

Please follow the link below to take a tour of Easy Surrey Neonatal Unit.  Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from the front door to, and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly:

East Surrey Hospital Neonatal Unit Video Tour

Royal Surrey County Hospital SCU

Royal Surrey SCU Royal Surrey County Hospital Egerton Road Guildford Surrey GU2 7XX

Special Care Baby Unit | Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust

Please follow the link below to take a tour of the Royal Surrey Special Care Baby Unit.  Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from the front door to, and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly:

Royal Surrey Special Care Baby Unit Video Tour

Frimley Park Hospital LNU

Frimley Park Hospital LNU Portsmouth Road Camberley GU16 7UJ

Frimley Park Neonatal Unit | Frimley Maternity Health and Care (frimleyhealthandcare.org.uk)

Please follow the link below to take a tour of the Frimley Park Neonatal Unit. Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from the front door to, and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly:

Frimley Park Hospital Neonatal Unit Video Tour

Royal Sussex County Hospital NICU

Royal Sussex County Hospital NICU Eastern Road Brighton BN2 3EW

UHSussex Maternity and Neonatology 

Please follow the link below to take a tour of the Trevor Mann Baby Unit.  Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from the front door to, and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly:

Trevor Mann Baby Unit Video Tour

Ronald McDonald House

Princess Royal Hospital SCU

Princess Royal Hospital SCU Lewes Road Haywards Heath RH16 4EX

UHSussex Maternity and Neonatology

Please follow the link below to take a tour of the Princess Royal Special Care Baby Unit.  Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from the front door to, and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly:

Princess Royal Special Care Baby Unit Video Tour

Worthing Hospital SCU

Worthing Hospital SCU Lyndhurst Road Worthing BN11 2DH

Home – University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (uhsussex.nhs.uk)

Please follow the link below to take a tour of the Worthing Hospital Special Care Baby Unit.  Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from the front door to, and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly:

Worthing Hospital Special Care Baby Unit Video Tour

Conquest Hospital SCU

Conquest Hospital SCU The Ridge St. Leonard’s on Sea East Sussex TN37 7RD

Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) – East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (esht.nhs.uk)

Please follow the link below to take a tour of the Conquest Hospital Special Care Baby Unit.  Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from the front door to, and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly:

Conquest Hospital Special Care Baby Unit Video Tour

Neonatal Transport Service

Press the play button to see a walkthrough of the neonatal ambulance. For a guided tour, select the play button in the bottom left-hand corner.

KSS Transport Service

If you would like information on a neonatal unit in the South West of England, please visit the South West Neonatal ODN website .

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Medway Oliver Fisher neonatal unit - NICU

Where to find us, telephone: 01634 825125.

About the unit

The Oliver Fisher baby unit is a tertiary neonatal facility caring for babies who require intensive care. We care for babies from medway and the surrounding south east thames region including Dartford, Gravesend, Maidstone and Tunbridge wells. We also accept referrals from outside Kent.   Our 36-cot unit provides intensive care, high dependency, special and transitional care services for babies born prematurely or who are sick and require specialist treatment. Around 1,000 babies are treated here each year as part of our neonatal and maternity service.

Virtual tour

Virtual tour of our unit.

We understand that having your baby being cared for on the neonatal unit can be a stressful time for parents and families. If your baby is going to be or has been admitted onto the neonatal unit, or if you are coming to see a baby on the neonatal unit, you may find it helpful to familiarise yourself in advance with where the unit is and how to get there. The Neonatal Network for Kent, Surrey and Sussex recently completed a video tour (below) of how to get to our neonatal unit, the facilities available on the unit and other helpful information. Press the play button in the bottom left to see a walkthrough from our front door to and then around the unit, or click on one of the other icons to explore specific areas of the tour directly.

Trigger warning

If you are a parent or carer and wish to use our virtual tour to explore our unit, please make sure you are in a safe space and feel emotionally ready to revisit the unit. Some parents have told us that revisiting the unit, even years after your baby was cared for by the neonatal team, can bring back emotional memories, so please take care.

Here is the link to the ODN website where all the links to the 13 neonatal units, neonatal transport service and Ronald McDonald House (Brighton) virtual tours are available.

Useful information

Meet the team.

Babies and families are cared for by a specialist team led by eight consultants and a neonatal matron.

Your baby will have a named consultant, however, from day to day, may be under the care of different consultants. Your baby’s named consultant will plan any follow up care that your baby might need after going home.   Our consultants have a team of doctors working with them in the nurseries everyday including senior house officers and registrars. The medical team is also supported by ANNPs (advanced neonatal nurse practitioners) and P.A.s (physician’s associates). All of the babies are reviewed at least once a day by a consultant with their team. This is called the ward round and we would encourage you to be there for your baby too. Your baby will also have a nurse allocated every shift. Babies are never left without a nurse in the room (except on transitional care where the mother is admitted as well). There is always a named nurse in charge of every shift. This will be a very senior nurse (usually senior sister). The most senior nurse on the unit is the matron, who usually works  monday to friday. All of these people can be approached if you have questions or concerns.

You will also see nurses specialising in research, training and transport. The registered nurses are supported by nursery nurses and clinical support workers. We also have specialists who come to the unit including radiographers, physiotherapist, and pharmacists.

The Oliver Fisher Unit is located in

Medway Maritime Hospital Windmill Road Gillingham Kent ME7 5NY Level 4, Green Zone

We are committed to keeping your baby safe. Please help us by asking anyone coming in behind you, at the main door, to buzz for themselves; do not hold the door open for them, unless you know who they are. All hospital staff wear identity badges. 

As parents of a baby in the neonatal unit, you are not visitors, but your baby’s primary carer and we would love you to spend as much time as you can looking after and being with your baby. As parents you can decide who visits your baby. We call this ‘open visiting’. You can have who you want, when you want, but…

What do you need to consider?

For reasons of safety, security and infection control, please respect the following:   Please only take cold drinks with lids (e.g. bottles) into the nurseries. Please go out of the nurseries for hot drinks and food. We have a parents’ sitting room with a kitchenette.   Only two adults at the cotside at any one time and one needs to be a parent. No children under 16, unless it is a brother or sister of the baby.

No one should visit with a cold or flu or any other infectious illness. Anyone who has suffered diarrhoea or vomiting needs to wait 48 hours without any symptoms before coming in – ask the nurse for advice if necessary.   Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate your visitors staying in the nurseries during ward rounds. They are welcome to wait in the waiting area, but not in front of the nursery doors or at the nurses’ station. 

Travel and parking

Please ask a nurse or ward clerk for a car parking subsidy form. Take the completed form to the car park desk at the main entrance for a weekly car park ticket at a greatly reduced rate. Car park is free overnight between the hours of 7pm and 7am.    If your in receipt of universal credit you may be able to claim back your train or rail fares. You will need to keep your tickets/receipt and a nurse will confirm your visits.

Meal provision

It’s really important to keep your strength up and look after yourself. Although you can take cold drinks with lids on into the nursery, please remember to come out to have regular meals.

The kitchenette in the parents’ sitting room can be used for food brought in from home; we do have a microwave where you can re-heat your meal. Snacks are available in the sitting room, free for you and hot meals provision can be facilitated by the unit team.

The hospital also has a coffee shop, next to the restaurant and a shop selling sandwiches and hot drinks at the main entrance. There is a league of friends shop at the main entrance that sells snacks, sandwiches and microwavable food. 

Outreach team

Neonatal outreach and discharge planning team.

Who are we?

We are a team of neonatal nurses and clinical support workers based on the Oliver Fisher neonatal unit. We will support you and your family to make sure you feel confident and ready to take your baby home. We also visit some babies in their family home once discharged.

What services do we offer?

Planning to take your baby home

Parent-craft, health education and promotion

Supporting families and babies going home on oxygen

Our normal working hours are Monday - Sunday between 7.30am - 4.30pm

We can be contacted on 01634 825124/825125 

07775706941

Sarah Clarke, Neonatal Matron Tel:  01634 830000 ext 5347

Ghada Ramadan, Speciality Lead Tel: 01634 830000 ext 5146

Vidya Pundit-Dermody, Head of Nursing  Tel: 01634 830000 ext 5109

Unit Phone: 01634 825125

Thank you to the Kent Surrey & Sussex parent advisory group for kindly sharing their photographs that are featured throughout this platform.

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Need to Cancel / Change an Appointment visit:  Cancel or change your appointment? :: Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust (dgt.nhs.uk)

Appointment text reminder service:  Appointment text reminder service :: Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust (dgt.nhs.uk)  somewhere on here so people are directed to this page? Any suggestions of how this is possible are very welcome. 

Online Self-Referral Form for Birth Experience Debrief

“reflection & resolution” – maternity debriefing service.

What is debriefing?

Some birthing experiences may leave women feeling traumatized, distressed or anxious. The actual birth experience may have been very different from the experience that was expected, which can be very difficult to deal with. These feelings and experiences can predispose to postnatal depression and which may lead onto post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Here at Darent Valley hospital, we can offer a debriefing service whereby skilled midwives can discuss your birth experience and any planned future pregnancies and birth.

What does debriefing achieve?

Debriefing can enable women to:

• Discuss their birthing experience, and their feelings around this.
• To understand what happened to them and why in order to receive validation and resolve self-blame
• Have the opportunity to express any negative feelings such as anger, frustration, or pain.
• Discuss any positive aspects of their experience and also discuss implications for future pregnancy and birth.

How to access the service:

Referrals may be made by hospital midwifery staff, community midwives or you can self-refer using the form below.

Once you have been referred, the maternity secretary, will contact you to make an appointment with one of the special debriefing team

At the meeting a member of the Debriefing Team will discuss your birth experience with you and will also have access to your birth notes.

Following this appointment, should you require further support the Debriefing Team will refer you to the appropriate person.

Debriefing appointments

We can offer a face to face appointment, telephone consultation or virtual appointment using a trusted online meeting service. We will discuss these options with you during our initial call following your referral.

If you feel this service is something that you would benefit from, please fill out the below self-referral form.

Please note, this service is for darent valley maternity service users only. if you did not give birth with us, please contact the hospital where you gave birth via their website..

Any information submitted through forms on this website are transferred to us via e-mail and will be dealt with in accordance with data protection legislation. E-mails are not encrypted (ie secure) before being sent to us.

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Having your baby at Darent Valley Hospital - online booking form

To book your pregnancy care you do  not  need to visit your gp for a referral.

Please complete the online form below to book your antenatal care and delivery with Darent Valley Hospital.  After you submit this form a notice will appear on your screen confirming it has been submitted.   You will also receive a copy of your completed form to the email address you have provided.

You will be contacted by phone by one of the midwives in your team within one week. This may be a withheld telephone number. Please make sure the contact number you provide is correct.  Following this phone contact  your maternity booking appointment will be sent to you via email, unless you choose not to use this option.

If you would prefer to receive your appointment via post this can be arranged.

We aim to provide you with the earliest available appointment in your area, ideally between 8 to 10 weeks of pregnancy. You will be offered a scan appointment between 12 weeks to 13 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy. This appointment will be organised by the scan department and sent to you in the post.

The quickest way to access midwifery care is to  complete the online self-referral form below. However if you are unable to do this you may   print off a word version  and send it to us via the Community Midwives Office, c/o Delivery Suite, Darent Valley Hospital, Darenth Wood Road, Dartford, Kent  DA2 8DA. 

Please note that postal communication may delay you receiving appointments. 

Pregnancy Self Referral Form

Ethnic group.

Please provide your ethnic group, this is extremely important information that will help us with your care during pregnancy.

Any Special Requirement

If you do not have a GP please write NOT REGISTERED