MORE neo-natal nurses must be recruited to special care baby units in Welsh hospitals to boost services that are currently understaffed and unsustainable, says the Royal College of Nursing.

Its call follows publication of a report by specialist baby care charity Bliss, which reveals that 70 per cent of neo-natal units in Wales had to close for an average of 15 days during April-September last year.

With the unit at the Royal Gwent experiencing regular high demand, which last May forced it to send women with high risk pregnancies as far as Yeovil to have their babies, the indications are that such pressures are as heavy as ever.

The RCN believes high levels of demand means many Welsh units are overstretched. It is calling for:

  • One nurse for one baby as the standard in all neonatal intensive care settings, as recommended by the British Association of Perinatal Medicine;
  • The Assembly to make recruitment and retention of qualified neonatal nurses a priority;
  • Dedicated neonatal transport services to be readily available to all units in Wales including, where appropriate, cross-border transfers.

Over the last 20 years, due to medical and technological advances, there have been improved survival rates for premature and low birth weight babies, yet funding for staff and training has not kept pace with demand.

Gwent's neonatal service, which includes units at the Royal Gwent and Nevill Hall Hospitals, is increasingly stretched, and Gwent Healthcare Trust hopes to attract funding from the Assembly to invest in more staff and cots.

RCN Wales Director Tina Donnelly said almost 4,000 premature and sick babies are born each year in Wales, and yet there is a shortage of around 120 specialist neonatal nurses.

"Infants are one of the most vulnerable groups in society and we have to ensure we increase funding and investment in specialist staff to care for them," she said.