I am passionate about improving the care for premature and sick babies.
Bliss campaigns to improve the quality of care for premature babies across the UK. While neonatal services in some areas are already well on their way to meeting new Department of Health standards, in others services are falling short and progress has been slow.
It is time to ensure high quality care for premature and sick babies is an NHS priority in every area.
Action for Bliss is a network of campaign supporters across the UK. If you would like to help improve care for sick and premature babies, please click here to sign up for the campaigns e-newsletter.
Bliss HQ helps and supports campaigners like me to talk to politicians and policymakers. In the past, this network has taken part in successful e-campaigns, and focus groups with the former Health Minister, Ann Keen MP, former Health Minister, Ivan Lewis MP and former Children’s Commissioner Sir Al Aynsley-Green.
The major issue that we campaign on is neonatal nursing standards. There is a chronic shortage of neonatal nurses across the UK which means that in neonatal intensive care, babies are not receiving the minimum standard of one nurse to one baby which they need and deserve.
This shortage sometimes can have effects on other parts of neonatal care. Transfers between units of babies are an everyday necessity, but sometimes babies need to be transferred and a staffed cot is not available in the nearest unit. This means that the baby may have to be transferred a considerable distance.
When a baby is born prematurely, it may have an effect on their schooling too. Bliss has been talking to politicians about babies who are born early and what options are available for them when they come to starting school. Having a premature or sick baby is a stressful time for mums and dads, even more so when they both have work pressures as well. Bliss is currently conducting some research on extending maternity and paternity leave for parents of sick and premature babies so that they do not lose out on time with their baby at home.
If you’d like to learn more about campaigning for Bliss or perhaps fundraising for them then please have a look at their website, where you will find lots of things you can help with.
