More than 90 per cent of neonatal intensive care units have been forced to turn babies away because of a shortage of staff and beds, a new report has revealed.
The research, released last week by the National Perinatal EpidemiologyUnit at Oxford University for premature baby charity Bliss, found thataround three babies a day had to be transferred between hospitals andtravelled an average of 126 miles.
The report said it should be mandatory for neonatal intensive care unitsto provide one nurse per patient. Currently, only three per cent ofintensive care units for babies do so. Bliss said 75m of extrafunding was needed for the 2,700 additional nurses needed by specialcare baby units.
A Department of Health spokesman said hospitals tried to provide carelocally "but there will always be occasions when transfer to a morespecialist unit may offer better outcomes".
