Rise in deaths of newborns linked to fall in neonatal nurses
- Feb 10, 2016
- EmmaArnold
The decrease in the number of neonatal nurses has been linked to the increase in death rates of newborn babies according to a new study.
One-to-one nursing care of sick and premature newborn babies is recommended in neonatal intensive care but this study suggests this is not always implemented.
The researchers assessed the impact of one-to-one nursing on the monthly death rate in intensive care neonatal units in England.
With this data, they calculated the proportion of babies who had one-to-one nursing care during their stay in the unit.
They found the proportion fell by a third during the four year data analysis with an average of 4.5% of babies in intensive care sadly dying each month.
Hannah Bottomley, clinical negligence solicitor at PotterReesDolan, said:
I cannot say that I was surprised to read the results of this study. It would seem an obvious sequence of events, fewer nurses to provide the life-saving care required to these vulnerable babies leads to higher deaths rates.
It is however the first time that a study has actually confirmed such a link and it is a worrying trend as we face a raise in the number of births year on year putting increasing pressure on an already struggling system.
I have said in the past that one of our main concerns here at PotterReesDolan is in respect of mistakes being made due to under-staffing and the subsequent lack of time to give those who really need it, the necessary care and attention to give them every chance of life.
For any parent of a newborn who requires additional support in the first few days and weeks of life it is an emotional and difficult experience and the data contained within the study will only give more cause to worry.
The sick baby charity Bliss commented by saying this research shows the importance of proper neonatal staff levels and how this affects the care the vulnerable babies receive.