Historic moment for neonatal families
Following eight years of fighting for change for families of premature babies, putting the parent voice at the heart of our campaigns, The Smallest Things is delighted to see the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill pass its final stage in Parliament
The new legislation for neonatal leave and pay entitlements will apply to working parents of babies admitted to hospital up to the age of 28 days who have a continuous stay in hospital of seven days or more.
Much needed additional leave and pay will enable parents to be with their baby or babies in hospital and give mums and dads the time they need to recover following the trauma of neonatal intensive care without the worry of additional financial pressures and returning to work too soon.
Neonatal Leave Now – don’t delay!
While welcoming the new legislation, The Smallest Things is urging the government not to delay in the implementation of the new neonatal leave and pay entitlements, with approximately 120,000 parents likely to miss out between now and the expected implementation date of April 2025.
“This new legislation will mean so much to families, giving them the emotional and financial support they need at a time of great stress and trauma. No parent should be sitting next to an incubator or neonatal cot worrying about work and pay. That is why this news will be extremely difficult for families in neonatal care right now, and in the near future, who will not be able to access the new entitlements.
We know that many parents return to work while their baby is still in hospital and mothers use up a significant portion of their maternity leave while their baby is in the neonatal unit. This impacts on the health and wellbeing of both parents and baby, and reduces the chances of a successful return to work.
We are urging the government to rethink the current implementation timeline and ask them to bring in this crucial entitlement with the urgency it needs.”
Parent voices on a lasting journey
Parents have been fighting for extended paid leave for parents of premature babies for eight years and the battle isn’t over yet. Our Neonatal Leave timeline outlines some of the key milestones in our parent-led campaign so far.
Neonatal Leave & Pay had been promised since the 2020 Budget but was left out of the subsequent Queen’s Speech that laid out the government’s plans for 2022/23. The Smallest Things and its supporters continued to call on the government to remember neonatal families and were delighted to see the Private Members’ Bill introduced by Stuart C McDonald MP in summer 2022.
Parents joined together, with more than 357,000 people signing The Smallest Things’ petition, to call on the government to extend paid parental leave for neonatal families. Over a number of years mums and dads have bravely shared their stories of neonatal care and beyond. In doing so they have shone a light on the realities of life after NICU, helping to raise awareness in calling for more time with their babies.
We know it’s a long journey, with more than 80% of parents telling us the neonatal journey doesn’t end when their baby or babies leave the hospital: over half of babies are readmitted and 71% worry about the long-term outcomes for their child. Perhaps unsurprisingly, almost a quarter of parents are diagnosed with PTSD after time in NICU. This additional time will help.
“My son Harry spent 107 days in hospital, taking up 3.5 months of my wife Sally’s maternity leave. Harry and Sam were born 15 weeks early at 25 weeks’ gestation in October 2015. Sadly, despite fighting hard, Sam passed away after 16 days yet Harry fought on with lots of challenges. When we finally brought Harry home he was on oxygen and most days were spent at check-ups or hospital visits. It wasn’t until he was six months that appointments became less frequent and by then we were already planning Sally’s return to school as a teacher.
If we had received additional leave, we would have been able to spend more time with Harry and savour being together as a family. We could have had some time to come to terms with the loss of Sam and be more prepared and able to commit to returning to the workforce. Bringing in additional neonatal leave will support families all over the country and enable them to focus on those precious moments you never get back.”
Thank you
The Smallest Things has campaigned alongside parents for eight years calling for extended leave and pay.
Through the charity’s ‘Employer with Heart’ scheme employers from all sectors, from Nationwide to Newcastle University, Sony Music to Santander, Wealden Council to the City of Westminster, are already going above and beyond new statutory requirements.
So we say a big heartfelt THANK YOU to all our supporters and everyone who has helped to make a difference along the way. Without your voice, we wouldn't have been able to shout as loud as we have done over the past eight years and be so close to this historic change becoming available for neonatal families.
Join the conversation at #NeonatalLeave&Pay #NeontalLeaveNow
For more information, media enquiries or case studies contact us at | hello@thesmallestthings.org