Will the NHS give me an apnoea monitor when my premature baby comes home?

Is a home apnoea alarm a standard NHS discharge item?

No. In hospital, apnoea monitoring is common for preterm babies. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s apnoea-of-prematurity guideline (West of Scotland, last reviewed 25 October 2024) lists ward indications such as babies under 34 weeks and those on caffeine. The same guideline then says there is currently no evidence to support routine home monitoring with an apnoea alarm, and that it may cause unnecessary parental anxiety.

If a clinician thinks a particular baby still needs an alarm at home, GGC says that must be discussed with the discharging or named neonatal consultant. That is a named-baby decision, not a catalogue item every SCBU mum is handed at the door.

Official records show home apnoea alarms are not a national entitlement. Local units write different leaflets. Ask your team what their policy is for your baby — do not infer a loan from another family’s Facebook post.

What do other NHS leaflets say about taking a monitor home?

GGC also says babies ready for rooming in should have apnoea monitors removed on the ward, and that an alarm used after a procedure (for example immunisations) should be stopped at least 48 hours before discharge. The hospital alarm you see on the cot is not a preview of what comes home in the bag.

What should I ask the discharge team this week?

1. 1
   Ask whether a home apnoea alarm is planned for your baby If yes, who is prescribing it, how long it is loaned, and what happens when the loan ends. If no, ask them to say so in the discharge discussion so you are not guessing.
2. 2
   Ask what the alarm will and will not detect East of England notes apnoea alarms will not pick up all life-threatening events, including some obstructive apnoeas. Observation and knowing when to seek help sit above the gadget.
3. 3
   Ask for resuscitation and “when to call” training GGC says parents of premature infants on SCBU should be offered a discharge discussion on sleeping, feeding and resuscitation training if appropriate. Bliss says you should not be expected to do anything at home that has not been explained.
4. 4
   Do not buy a shop pad as a stand-in A mattress movement pad sold as nursery kit is not the same device as a consultant-issued alarm. The Lullaby Trust says there is no evidence consumer monitors prevent SIDS.
5. 5
   If you are worried after you get home Use the unit’s contact route, your GP, NHS 111, or 999 if your baby is not responding or is seriously unwell. The Lullaby Trust’s alarm-sounding steps start with looking at the baby, not at the shop display.

Is the Lullaby Trust CONI monitor the same as an NHS SCBU loan?

No. CONI (Care of Next Infant) is a programme for bereaved families expecting another baby. The monitors used there are simple movement monitors classed as medical devices. That is not the same pathway as “my baby is leaving SCBU this week”.

The Lullaby Trust’s public monitors page (reviewed 1 February 2025) also states there is no research showing monitors help prevent SIDS, and that a monitor cannot replace a parent or carer in the room. Safer sleep still applies: back, clear sleep surface, same room for the first six months.

In shortTreat a home apnoea alarm as a consultant decision, not a standard premature-discharge freebie. Some units loan; most published guidelines say they do not do so routinely. A shop pad does not fill that gap. Ask the named consultant what is on your baby’s plan.

If there is no loan, what still applies at home?

NHS safer-sleep advice and the Lullaby Trust still apply whether or not a monitor is in the house. If your baby has a medical condition or is going home on oxygen, follow the written breathing plan from the neonatal team rather than a retail listing.