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Parents of premature babies express trust in neonatal care, but nearly half want more access to doctors

Results of neonatal services survey show most parents with premature babies have confidence in their care units, but many feel communication with doctors is inadequate

Nurses caring for premature babies in neonatal units have been given a vote of confidence by parents in a national survey.

Neonatal
Picture credit: Science Photo Library

Care teams in 72 NHS trusts in England, including staff in special care baby units, local neonatal units and neonatal intensive care units, were trusted by 87% of parents who responded to the survey by the health and social care charity, Picker Institute Europe.

A further 79% of parents said they were always able to talk to staff if they had concerns and always received information about their baby’s treatment in a way they could understand.

Support for feeding method choices was also praised, with four fifths of parents saying nurses helped them to feel confident in caring for their child. However, fewer than half of the parents felt able to speak to a doctor as much as they had wanted to.

Caroline Davey, chief executive of the charity BLISS, which collaborated on the survey, said: ‘While there is much to celebrate, the survey also highlights areas where improvement is needed, including the need to provide better information to parents and to involve parents fully in their babies' care.’

Read the full survey findings