Lack of neonatal specialists ‘desperate state of affairs’ - RCN

Published: 18 October 2011

Responding to the new report by special care baby charity Bliss, Royal College of Nursing Executive Director of Nursing and Service Delivery Janet Davies, said:

“This report reflects the desperate state of affairs within neonatal units across the country. It is deeply shocking that at a time when extra nurses are needed to meet even the most basic standards of neonatal care, some Trusts are making reckless cuts to posts, which will undoubtedly have an impact on the care of premature and sick babies. Sadly, this is a reflection on what is happening throughout the NHS, where we know that 40,000 posts are earmarked to be lost.

“It is critical that hospitals have the right numbers of specialist nurses, who can provide one to one care to premature babies and support for families at an extremely stressful time in their lives. Equally, a properly funded strategy is now urgently needed to recruit and retain more of these specialist nurses.”

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Notes for Editors

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Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.