We are working with the Applied Research Collaboration for the North West Coast (ARC NWC) on a project to identify the best models of care for the early supported discharge of preterm babies.
Around one in 13 babies in the UK is born prematurely. They often need lengthier hospital care which leads to greater parent-infant separation and negative impacts on breast feeding, as well as a parent’s sense of connectedness with their baby.
Preterm babies are also at greater risk of emergency readmission within 28 days, leading to repeated negative impacts. Babies in deprived areas are at greater risk of emergency readmission.
Our project will, by spring 2023, map and evaluate interventions for the early supported discharge of preterm babies. The project is part of the NHS Insights Prioritisation Programme (NIPP) to identify promising new approaches that have emerged during the pandemic.
Benefits to services and patients include;
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the prevention of readmission,
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efficiencies associated with reduced hospital stays,
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reduced parent-baby separation,
and
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reductions in health inequalities.
We will share best practice and build on learning from the pandemic to identify the best models of care to spread in the North West (not just in the North West Coast).
Funding for the programme is through the Accelerated Access Collaborative. It is managed by the AHSN Network and the National Institute for Health Research, which has oversight of a network of ARCs.
For more information about the project or if you would like to contribute, please contact Laura Boland Laura.Boland@healthinnovationnwc.nhs.uk.
