What counts as neonatal care?
Neonatal care is the type of care a baby born premature or sick receives in a neonatal unit, a part of the hospital that specialises in treating newborn babies. For Neonatal Care Leave and Pay, the definition of “neonatal care” is broader than this. You may qualify if your baby’s care meets any of the below:
- Your baby has received at least 7 continuous days of medical care in hospital. This includes on a neonatal unit, transitional care ward, pediatric intensive care unit or any other children's ward.
- Your baby is receiving medical care outside of a hospital, for example in your home or in a hospice. If your baby had previously been an inpatient and their care is currently being overseen by a consultant, or they continue to be monitored by healthcare professionals for example, if your baby has been discharged from the hospital on oxygen or with a feeding tube.
- Your baby is receiving palliative or end of life care.
- For example, the parents of a baby who spends 3 weeks receiving care in a neonatal unit and then is discharged home on oxygen where they continue to receive neonatal outreach care for another 7 weeks would accrue a total of 10 weeks of Neonatal Care Leave.
