Bliss Scotland’s survey of neonatal units across Scotland found that for every 10 babies that need to stay overnight, there is only one room available for a parent to stay on the unit.
Neonatal care is the type of hospital care a baby receives if they are born premature or sick. But unlike other children’s wards, in neonatal care parents cannot regularly stay overnight with their baby. This is true even when newborns spend weeks or months in the hospital, often without their parents by their side during the critical early stages of life. Swift action is needed by the Scottish Government to ensure that under the new model of neonatal care, due for implementation from 2025, all parents are supported to be with their baby in hospital overnight.
Bliss Scotland’s research found that the key barrier stopping neonatal units from giving parents the facilities they need to stay with their babies is a lack of physical space on the unit to build parent bedrooms and for cot-side temporary beds. Although the Young Patients Family Fund is intended to provide financial support for parents to help with accommodation costs, our research also found that neonatal health professionals may be unaware of this aspect of the Fund, with different Health Boards administering it differently and some parents not able to access this support for accommodation costs.
To address this, Bliss Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government to:
- Identify the capital investment required to bring all parent accommodation up to a minimum standard on neonatal units
- Develop a small grants programme so that units can apply for funding immediately to buy new furniture or equipment
- Ensure that the guidelines for utilising the Young Patients Family Fund for accommodation expenses are consistent across all units
One parent said: “Our daughter Isabelle was delivered urgently at 28 weeks’ gestation weighing just 1lb 5oz. She spent 95 days in the NICU and faced many setbacks. It was the most difficult and heart wrenching time.
“I would cry my eyes out most nights on the way home. I'm sure many breastfeeding mothers will know how difficult it is to produce milk in the early days without your baby being close by.
“I have always said that until Isabelle was allowed home, I felt that she belonged to the hospital and wasn't truly my baby. Whilst we couldn't be any closer now, I felt very low at the time and was highly anxious that we wouldn't be able to bond like a new mother and child should.
Caroline Lee-Davey, Chief Executive of Bliss Scotland, said: “We know that when parents are present and involved as much as possible, babies experience better physical and developmental outcomes. Equally, this is vital for the mental health and wellbeing of parents and for strong parent-infant bonding.
"Having a sick baby in the hospital can be an isolating and deeply distressing experience, made even more traumatic when parents are required to leave their newborn overnight.
"We urge the Scottish Government to ensure that all parents of a baby in neonatal care know that they can access the Young Patients Family Fund to pay for short-term accommodation, as well as to work with Health Boards to fund and deliver dedicated neonatal parent accommodation for all families who need it. Ensuring parents have the facilities to stay near their babies is key to supporting their partnership in care, creating an atmosphere where they feel included, supported, and empowered."
