Leading mother and baby charity Baby Lifeline is launching a major campaign
to secure much-needed funds to ensure more support for special care baby
and maternity units. The charity provides hospitals around the country
with funds for equipment and specialist training to collaborate and also
meet the shortfall of Government funding in maternity care. Baby Lifeline
is disappointed to learn of the Government’s u-turn to allocate major
funding to neonatal care.

Judy Ledger, Chief Executive of Baby Lifeline, who set up the charity
27 years ago after she lost three premature babies, said: “There was already
a shortage of funds allocated from Government for maternity and special
care baby services so this is a very disappointing decision. “The funds
currently released for maternity services have not been, in many cases,
ringfenced properly, causing high incidences of limited resource and improperly
directed funds. “Maternity funding as a whole is still not prioritised
enough.

The shortage of clinical staff, including midwives and specialist nursing
staff, and not having sufficient funding for certain continuing professional
development training causes real concerns and needs addressing. At present,
recommended optimum ratios of clinical to patient care is not achievable
due to the limited resources. Ensuring the right level of expert care
for babies at their most vulnerable should be a priority,” she said. Baby
Lifeline has taken part in a production for ITV’s Tonight programme to
be screened on November 9 about the care of premature babies, maternity
services and the shortfalls. Judy Ledger added: “Baby Lifeline is a highly
respected organisation whose advisers and members are eminent NHS clinical
and legal professionals, stakeholders of NICE and members of leading authorities
in maternity care. Our mission is to ensure the healthiest outcome possible
from pregnancy and birth by providing more standardised, quality expert
training, equipment for maternity and special care baby units and support
for the future care of mothers and their babies.”

As well as delivering the training required, there is a shortage of equipment
in maternity hospitals across the UK, and an initial ‘shopping list’ for
over £2.5m has been submitted by many NHS Trusts to secure funding,” she
added.

Baby
Lifeline has mustered help from former PM Tony Blair, Dame Judi Dench,
sports car manufacturer Aston Martin, Sir Ben Kingsley, Corrie Romeo Dev
(Jimmi Harishin), Formula One boss Ross Brawn, Sir Elton John, Trevor
Eve, to name a few, to offer stunning money can’t buy prizes for an online
auction that will hopefully generate substantial funds. The auction will
run on www.ebay.co.uk/charity
from the 5 November to 15 November.

Log on to www.babylifeline.org.uk
right now to see the prizes available to the highest bidder.

Date
6 November 2009

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