Allied Health

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapists who work in the NICU have specialist skills in assessment and treatment of premature and sick babies. The role of the Physiotherapist in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit includes; positioning and handling advice to parents and staff, assessment of neurodevelopment, respiratory assessment and treatment, and management of orthopaedic and musculoskeletal conditions such as talipes, hip dysplasia and head shape. The physiotherapist is also part of the Developmental Care Team which implements strategies to decrease stress on these fragile infants and educates families on the important role of brain development in premature infants. The physiotherapist can provide specialised equipment to promote development in the NICU such as peanut pillows, fraser chairs, toys for stimulating the older baby and playmats. They can also recommend developmental equipment in preparation for going home. The physiotherapist is also involved in the developmental follow-up clinic (formerly Rainbow Clinic), and provides outpatient therapy through Rainbow Cottage.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapists aim is to assess and interpret the premature baby’s behaviour and responses during daily living activities such as cares, feeding, sleeping and periods of interaction. They support parent infant interaction, family participation and infant occupations by providing education to families on their infants behavioural cues, sensory development and developmentally supportive care.
Occupational therapists teach and facilitate developmentally supportive techniques with parents (and other members of the developmental care team) such as skin to skin care, swaddled bathing, swaddled cares, positioning and handling. Occupational Therapist’s assess the baby’s environment to ensure that they are receiving a supportive amount of sensory stimulation and are able to integrate and respond to that stimulation. As the baby gets older and reaches term age they help to support development of attention, motor, interaction and visual skills. The Occupational Therapist can advise on specialist equipment and carry out home visits to ensure accessible and supportive environments for babies and/or Mothers with additional needs. We offer follow-up outpatient services at Rainbow Cottage and are part of the assessment team in Rainbow clinic.

Speech Pathology

Speech Pathologists in the NICU support premature and sick babies with their transition from tube to suck feeds. They conduct pre-feeding assessment to determine readiness for suck feeds, diagnose and treat sucking and swallowing disorders. Treatment may include oral exercises to build muscle strength and to help the baby be comfortable with sensation around the mouth. Specific feeding techniques ensure a safe and optimal feeding regime for babies who have difficulty or are still developing their sucking and swallowing ability. Speech Pathologists also provide parent and staff education on suck feeding and developmentally supportive approaches to the transition process. Follow up speech and language assessments are provided to babies who were in the NICU to monitor their development up to school age.
  

Social Work

Social Workers are skilled practitioners who are able to assist families to cope with the emotional aspects of having a premature or sick newborn. Social Workers can also assist you around respectful relationships, or other family issues. Social Workers support young parents in their new role and provide assistance with more complex issues in drug and alcohol matters, mental health and domestic violence. Social Workers can provide information and education around parenting and link families into support networks and parenting services.

Developmental Care Team

The Developmental Care Team at Liverpool Hospital comprises of; Physiotherapists, Speech Therapists, Occupational therapists, Social Work, Nurses and Doctors. Developmental Care is the philosophy of minimising infant stress in the NICU environment.
The Liverpool Developmental Care Team aims to;
• Educate and empower parents
• Provide an understating of brain development in premature infants
• Modify the environment to minimise light and sound and maximise positive sensory experiences
• Teach parents and staff the power of positive touch, including skin-to-skin contact
• Provide practical ways to individually support premature babies in the ex-utero environment

The Liverpool Developmental Care Team meet once a week to develop individual developmental care plans for babies currently in the nursery.

They have developed many educational resources for parents and staff, and regularly provide parents with practical and educational sessions on developmental care.
The team also runs regular “Introduction to Developmental Care” workshops for staff from NSW and around Australia.