For babies, and their families, to have the best possible outcomes it is essential that parents are able to be with their baby for long, uninterrupted periods of time in order to take the lead in delivering their care.
However a shortage of overnight accommodation and other basic facilities for families in Scottish neonatal units prevents many parents from being with their baby as often and for as long as they need.
Following our campaigning on this issue, parents with a baby in neonatal care in Scotland can now claim help with travel and food costs through the Neonatal Expenses Fund.
However there is still more to do to ensure that babies do not miss out on crucial time with their parents in the precious first few days and weeks of their life.
What we are calling for
At the beginning of 2017, the Scottish Government committed to improving facilities on neonatal units for parents in Scotland as part of the Best Start review.
We want the Scottish Government to take the following steps:
- Ensure local reviews are conducted of current facilities for families to make sure that hospitals are enabling parents to be with their baby for as much time as possible.
- Make provision of sufficient family facilities on the unit a priority when planning and implementing changes to the configuration of neonatal services in Scotland.
We are also calling for Health Boards to:
- Explore short term solutions such as partnerships with local hotels for accommodation if services cannot be provided on the unit in the immediate future.
