Bliss was founded in 1979 by a group of concerned parents who discovered that no hospital had all the equipment nor the trained staff it needed to safely care for premature and sick babies.
Determined to do something, these volunteers formed a charity to give vulnerable babies the care they deserve. 40 years later Bliss has grown into the leading UK charity for the 90,000 babies born needing neonatal care every year.
Why we exist
Our vision
Bliss’ vision is that every baby born premature or sick in the UK has the best chance of survival and quality of life.
Our mission
We exist to ensure all babies in neonatal care:
have the best chance of survival
have well-supported parents playing an active role in their decision-making and care
are cared for in neonatal environments that best support their development
benefit from neonatal research that can lead to practical improvements in their care
receive high-quality care within a neonatal health system which is appropriately funded, structured and staffed.
We are entrusted to give voice to all babies born premature or sick. We believe that trust is earned and our actions must always be based on what is best for babies.
Supportive
We believe that developing supportive relationships is at the heart of what we do, and only by supporting others are we able to achieve our goals.
Ambitious
We always go the extra mile to deliver excellence and seek improvement in all we do.
Mum Louisa explains what Bliss means to her
While pregnant, Louisa's scan uncovered a mass on her left lung that was revealed to be a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).
Premature birth can result in life long conditions such as cerebral palsy, behavioural and long term health problems. Some research has also found that the earlier a baby is born the higher their risk of having special educational needs at school.
The average length of time a baby spends in neonatal care is eight days but babies born at less than 27 weeks of pregnancy spend an average of 93 days in hospital.
The average cost to the NHS of a day of neonatal care is £805, meaning that if every baby spent just one day less in neonatal care a staggering £60 million would be saved each year.
