Annual Neonatal Audit Published

The ninth annual national audit report into the UK’s neonatal services has been released by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).

The National Neonatal Audit programme aims to support families, professionals and commissioners in improving neonatal services. The most recent report, released in September 2016, assesses the data from neonatal admissions throughout 2015, across 179 units.

Approximately 750,000 babies are born in England, Scotland and Wales each year, with 1 in 8 being admitted into a neonatal unit. In 2015, this resulted in 95,235 admissions.

Whilst units are delivering high quality care, the report highlights the continued levels of variation between units and suggests sharing practices in order to help hospitals improve. To support this, an online interactive reporting tool has been created.

It is also recommended that units work to improve communication between parents and senior members of staff, as this continues to be poor. The report states that “involving parents in their baby’s care is crucial for achieving the best long-term outcomes; engaging them in the first 24 hours is an essential part of doing this”. The results found that 1 in 10 parents did not receive the recommended documented consultation with a senior member of staff within the first 24 hours after an admission – a result that has unfortunately not improved since 2012.

You can read the full report here.