Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Neonatal Critical Care review made in its review of evidence submitted to the Women and Children National Programme of Care Board in October 2017 of the number of additional funded neonatal nurse posts required for services to meet agreed standards on nurse to baby ratios.

The Neonatal Critical Care review recognises that the number of funded neonatal nurse posts needs to increase in order to meet agreed standards on nurse to baby ratios. The review also highlighted a number of challenges linked to filling neonatal nursing posts.

The Neonatal Critical Transformation Review through its Models of Care Group is working through nursing and medical staffing initiatives to support the delivery of recommended levels of staffing.