Two thirds of fathers whose babies are premature and sick are forced to return to work whilst their child is in intensive care according to charity, Bliss.
A survey done by 737 parents showed 77% of them saying they were not given enough time off. One in 10 parents had to leave their job as a result of their baby’s stay in hospital. The government is reviewing the rules for parents with premature or sick babies.
According to Bliss around 100,000 babies born every year need intensive care in their first week of life. 78,000 babies are born too soon, too small or too sick in Britain each year. 66% of dads said they returned to work while their baby was still receiving neonatal care. Bliss and other organisations such as The Smallest Things have been campaigning for the government to extend parental leave and to pay for parents of parents of premature or sick babies to reflect the length of time babies have spent in hospital.
Caroline Lee-Davey, chief executive of Bliss, said: “Statutory paternity leave runs out long before many babies born premature or sick come home from hospital. This forces many dads and partners to be signed off sick or go back to work while their baby fights for their life.
“This is not good for babies or their parents – but it also is not good for employers when valued employees are either struggling to do their jobs while under immense stress worrying about their sick baby, or having to sign off sick or leave work altogether rather than take a planned leave of absence with their employer’s full support.”
Currently, statutory maternity leave starts as soon as the baby is born, and statutory paternity leave of up to two weeks starts at a date agreed with the employer.
David Linden, the SNP MP for Glasgow East, said: “These powerful survey responses back up the very same experiences I had when my own two children were born prematurely.
“So I firmly believe that the time has now come to act and extend the statutory element of parental leave to take into account the unique and challenging circumstances faced by the families of premature babies.”
Some babies can spend many weeks and months receiving care on the neonatal unit before being well enough to go home. This means parents can use large amounts of their entitled leave before their baby is even home.
A baby may need specialist hospital care if they are born premature (before 37 weeks) or born full term with a low birth weight or a medical condition that needs treatment. These babies will require some form of hospital care provided in neonatal units at three levels:
- Special Care – A baby’s breathing and heart rate is monitored, they might receive light therapy for jaundice and are likely to need help with their feeding or be given extra oxygen.
- High Dependency Care – More specialist care for babies weighing
less than 1000g or needing more intensive help with their breathing
or feeding. - Intensive Care – For babies who are very small or sick who will
normally be on a ventilator and receiving constant care to keep them alive.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have announced they are carrying out a “short, focused internal review” of the rules for parents of premature and sick babies and those who experience multiple births.
