UK’s premature/sick baby care needs to improve says three-decade strong Bliss charity
November 2, 2009 by Andy Merrett
In the thirty years that special care baby charity Bliss has existed, it has repeatedly called for better services that care for premature and sick babies in the UK.
Every year, some 70,000 babies are born in need of specialist neonatal care in England alone. Added to this, the birth rate is increasing and more premature babies are surviving than ever, which puts additional pressure on overstretched services.
To celebrate thirty years and highlight the issues, Bliss has produced a special report — Three Decades and Counting — which documents the charity’s support and pushes for improvements to special care baby services.
Chief executive of Bliss, Andy Cole, said “We are delighted to be celebrating our thirtieth birthday with the publication of this special report, looking at how Bliss and the services for newborn babies we support have developed. After 30 years of fighting, 2009 should mark a significant change in the fortunes of premature and sick babies and the care they receive. Special care baby units have been stretched to the limits for far too long. We call on the Government and the NHS to ensure that the NHS Taskforce’s recommendations are now delivered without delay.”
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Having a sick baby is very distressing for parents, knowing that their baby may not get the extent of care they would hope for because of funding doesn’t bear thinking about. You can bet that the government will once again ignore any or all recommendations that involve them putting their hand in their pockets.