Neonatal units ‘struggling’
Neonatal services in Britain are struggling to cope with demand, a new report from premature baby charity Bliss claims.
It warns an additional 2,700 nurses – at an annual cost of £75 million – are required to meet the level of nursing considered safe by the British Association of Perinatal Medicine.
Research by the charity found 95 per cent of neonatal units are housing more babies than they believe they should be, a situation that is putting babies at risk.
Almost three quarters (72 per cent) of units admitted to turning away new admissions at least once in the last six months due to a shortage in staff or beds, which led to mothers and babies having to be transferred out of their local area to find a cot.
“This report puts the spotlight on a health service that remains severely under-resourced even while other parts of the NHS are seeing big improvements,” said Rob Williams, chief executive of Bliss.
“We need a bill of rights for babies, who seem to be the patient group at the bottom of the priority list.”
The research also found notable regional differences in mortality rates, with babies in certain parts of Scotland nearly three times more likely to die before their first birthday compared to babies in south-east England.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said it would give today’s report close consideration and said it demonstrated that there was “clearly more to do”.
But she stressed that the department was committed to “good quality, woman-centred maternity care” and had invested additional funding which had already led to the provision of 27 extra cots for babies under 1500g and 12 extra special care cots.
Conservative health spokesman Andrew Lansley said it was “vital” that dedicated resources and structure were given to paediatric services to improve capacity, staffing and standards.
“I would urge the government to act on the Bliss report as a matter of urgency. That is why, during the election, I announced our proposals to enhance children’s health services,” he said.
