Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that every hospital has or has access to a neonatal intensive care unit.

There are three levels of neonatal critical care services, dependent upon the complexity of care required for the baby, and with dedicated transport services to support babies being transferred to and from neonatal units.

In total, there are 155 hospitals that provide neonatal critical care services in England. Every year, the 10 Neonatal Critical Care Operational Delivery Networks assess the provision of neonatal services within their networks, with each service having a designated level of service. There are 43 neonatal intensive care units, and each have agreed referral pathways from the other neonatal critical care services in their network.

NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services outlines how the National Health Service will make maternity and neonatal care safer, more personalised and more equitable for women, babies and families.