The UK 22 Week Study
Clinical Management and Short-Term Outcomes of Neonates Born at 22 Weeks in the UK (The 22 Week Study)
1 other identifier
observational
100
1 country
50
Brief Summary
In the UK, babies born at 22 weeks of pregnancy have only been offered survival-focused care (sometimes called resuscitation or stabilisation) since 2019. Very few babies are born this early each year and sadly a lot of them do not survive. Therefore, healthcare teams don't have much information about this new population of tiny babies and there is much to learn about how they respond, the problems they face and the best way for intensive care units to look after them. This study aims to collect information available in babies' medical notes, analyse it and share learning to start improving this knowledge. There will be no changes to the babies' care, only observation of what happens. A small team of doctors and nurse practitioners who have/are looking after a baby, will put a small amount of selected information, without 'identifiers' such as the baby's name, date of birth or hospital number, onto a secure database platform at Imperial College London (a university). Researchers will analyse the information from all the babies around the UK together to look for trends and to describe common things that happen to them, as well as their outcomes. Parents will be made aware this information is being collected and used through a leaflet. It will not be possible to identify an individual baby in the results. The investigators are aiming for around 45 hospitals across the UK to participate. Babies born at 22 weeks gestation, who are attended to at birth by a neonatal team (or admitted) at an intensive care site over a 12-month period will be included. While collecting this information will not impact the babies included, it may help the treatment of babies born early in the future and give families more accurate information about what they might expect to happen.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P50-P75 for all trials
Started Jun 2025
Typical duration for all trials
50 active sites
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
June 1, 2025
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
March 23, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
June 1, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
June 1, 2027
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
December 1, 2027
June 24, 2026
June 1, 2026
2 years
March 23, 2026
June 23, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Survival to discharge from neonatal care
Survival to discharge from neonatal care
Infants from birth until death or discharge from neonatal care up to 50 weeks post-menstrual age
Secondary Outcomes (5)
Core Neonatal Outcomes - BPD
Infants from birth until death or discharge from neonatal care up to 50 weeks post-menstrual age
Core Neonatal Outcomes - ROP
Infants from birth until death or discharge from neonatal care up to 50 weeks post-menstrual age
Core Neonatal Outcomes - Severe brain injury
Infants from birth until death or discharge from neonatal care up to 50 weeks post-menstrual age
Core Neonatal Outcomes - NEC
Infants from birth until death or discharge from neonatal care up to 50 weeks post-menstrual age
Core Neonatal Outcomes - LOS
Infants from birth until death or discharge from neonatal care up to 50 weeks post-menstrual age
Study Arms (1)
Babies born at 22 weeks in neonatal intensive care units in the UK
Attended to by neonatal team at birth or transferred into a NICU
Interventions
Not applicable (observational study)
Eligibility Criteria
In United Kingdom
You may qualify if:
- Born at 22+0-22+6 weeks gestational age
- Born in a NICU centre with neonatal team in attendance
- Or admitted to a NICU within first 72 hours of life if outborn
You may not qualify if:
- Less than or more than 22 weeks gestation at birth
- Known congenital anomaly
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- CW+ Charitycollaborator
- Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trustcollaborator
- Imperial College Londonlead
- Kids Intensive Care and Decision Support & Neonatal Transfer Service (KIDSNTS), Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trustcollaborator
- NeoTRIPs - British Association of Perinatal Medicine associated group of neonatal trainee-led research, education and QI networkcollaborator
Study Sites (50)
Neonatal Unit, James Cook University Hospital
Middlesbrough, Teeside, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, University Hospital of Wales
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Singleton Hospital
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Aberdeen Maternity Hospital
Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, William Harvey Hospital
Ashford, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital
Belfast, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital (University Hospitals Birmingham)
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Royal Bolton Hospital
Bolton, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Bradford Royal Infirmary
Bradford, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Southmead Hospital
Bristol, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, St Michael's Hospital
Bristol, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Lancashire Women & Newborn Centre
Burnley, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Rosie Maternity Hospital
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Ashford & St Peter's Hospital
Chertsey, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Ninewells Hospital
Dundee, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Simpson Centre for Reproductive Health
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Medway Maritime Hospital
Gillingham, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Princess Royal Maternity Hospital
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Royal Hospital for Children, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Hull Royal Infirmary
Hull, United Kingdom
Leeds Neonatal Service
Leeds, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Leicester Royal Infirmary
Leicester, United Kingdom
Neonatal Surgical Unit, Alder Hey Children's Hospital
Liverpool, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Liverpool Women's Hospital
Liverpool, United Kingdom
Imperial College
London, United Kingdom
Neonatal Surgical Unit, Great Ormond Street Hospital
London, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
London, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Homerton University Hospital
London, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, King's College Hospital
London, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital
London, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Royal London Hospital
London, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, St George's Hospital
London, United Kingdom
University College Hospital
London, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Luton & Dunstable Hospital
Luton, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, St Mary's Hospital
Manchester, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Royal Victoria Infirmary
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals
Norwich, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Queen's Medical Centre, University Hospital Nottingham
Nottingham, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Royal Oldham Hospital
Oldham, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital
Oxford, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Derriford Hospital
Plymouth, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Queen Alexandra Hospital
Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Royal Preston Hospital
Preston, United Kingdom
The Jessop Wing
Sheffield, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Princess Anne Hospital
Southampton, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, University Hospital of North Midlands
Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, Arrowe Park Hospital
Upton, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, University Hospital Wishaw
Wishaw, United Kingdom
Neonatal Unit, New Cross Hospital
Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
Related Publications (1)
Smith LK, van Blankenstein E, Fox G, Seaton SE, Martinez-Jimenez M, Petrou S, Battersby C; MBRRACE-UK Perinatal Surveillance Group. Effect of national guidance on survival for babies born at 22 weeks' gestation in England and Wales: population based cohort study. BMJ Med. 2023 Nov 7;2(1):e000579. doi: 10.1136/bmjmed-2023-000579. eCollection 2023.
PMID: 38027415BACKGROUND
Related Links
MeSH Terms
Interventions
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- STUDY DIRECTOR
Cheryl WS Battersby
Imperial College London
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- observational
- Observational Model
- COHORT
- Time Perspective
- PROSPECTIVE
- Target Duration
- 6 Months
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
March 23, 2026
First Posted
June 1, 2026
Study Start
June 1, 2025
Primary Completion (Estimated)
June 1, 2027
Study Completion (Estimated)
December 1, 2027
Last Updated
June 24, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-06
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will not share
IPD will not be shared due to small numbers to prevent any potential identification and due to ethical approval limits