Psychology Staffing on the Neonatal Unit
There has never been a stronger argument for the integration of psychological practice within physical healthcare. Given that strides have been made towards this provision existing for adult and paediatric acute care, and there is a critical additional vulnerability during an infant’s first 1001 days, the need could not be clearer for babies, families and staff working in neonatal units. Admission to a Neonatal Unit (NNU) has many negative psychological consequences for the parents, the neonate, siblings and the parent-baby relationship. Furthermore, the negative psychological impact of working in critical care for staff has also been demonstrated.
This document is written by the Lead Neonatal Clinical Psychologists who are funded to help implement the recommendations of the Neonatal Critical Care Review (NCCR) in each of the ten regional Neonatal Operational Delivery Networks (ODN’s) across England. A priority of this work is to take a strategic lead in and facilitate the development of practice in line with the recommendations of the NCCR and the NHS long term plan. The current report details the benefits of increased clinical psychology provision on NNUs to mitigate against the impact of an admission on infants, parents and staff. It also highlights the minimum recommended psychology staffing levels required in order to do this. The aim of this report is to support the delivery of a service to all neonatal units within the network and support the strategic development of equitable access to and provision of psychological support for families and neonatal staff and the development of psychologically informed care.
