Extra leave for parents of premature babies 'huge'

A mum whose premature baby spent several weeks in neonatal care has welcomed a change in the law to entitle parents to additional time off work.

Under a new UK government law, which comes into effect on 6 April, thousands of families whose babies need to be cared for in neonatal units will be entitled to additional time off work.

The measures will allow eligible parents to take up to 12 weeks of leave, fully-paid in some circumstances, on top of any other leave they may be entitled to including maternity and paternity leave.

A leading charity said the change would be "transformative" in terms of the support that parents receive.

One in seven UK newborns needs to be cared for in a specialist hospital unit.

Neonatal Care Leave will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into neonatal care up to 28 days old and who have a continuous stay in hospital of 7 full days or longer.

Bethan Wyn's daughter, Mari Glyn, was born prematurely at 31 weeks at St Michael's Hospital in Bristol.

Ms Wyn, from Carmarthen, said Mari Glyn had to be cared for in a neonatal unit for several weeks until she was well enough to go home.

Her maternity leave had been due to begin in February, but it instead began automatically in December when Mari Glyn was born.

She said that while she and her husband were fortunate enough to receive support from their employers, this was not the case for everyone.

"If a very large number of parents have to return to work or have to accept a period without pay which puts additional stress on the most difficult period in their lives," she told BBC Cymru Fyw.

"It was really the most difficult time of our lives," Ms Wyn added.

"There would be the stress of having to think about what income we have coming in or that the time[on maternity leave or paternity leave] would be cut short and one of us would have to go back to work, that would just be completely unfair and until now that has been the situation for a large number of parents.

"It's really special that they've introduced this [new law] where it takes that stress away from the parents."

• Working families in the UK with babies in neonatal care will be entitled to additional time off as a "day one right" from 6 April, the UK government said
• Neonatal Care Leave will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into neonatal care up to 28 days old and who have a continuous stay in hospital of 7 full days or longer
• The measures will allow eligible parents to take up to 12 weeks of leave - and, if eligible, pay - on top of any other leave they may be entitled to, including maternity and paternity leave
• The UK government said Statutory Neonatal Care Pay would be available to those "who meet continuity of service requirements and a minimum earnings threshold"

Bliss, a charity which supports the families of premature and sick babies, said the law change was "transformative".

"It's a very traumatic time for parents... having to leave your baby every night for months," said the charity's campaigns manager, Beth McCleverty.

"The change will be transformative for those parents who are eligible. The parents often have to choose between returning to work or being with their sick baby in hospital".

She added that it would have "a clear impact on the mental health of parents who are going through a very traumatic period."

"It's a huge shift to get more support for the parents."

The UK Government said it was "committed to supporting families who need to be by their child's side without having to work or use holiday".