Pioneering paediatrician Dr Mildred Thornton Stahlman, whose research on fatal lung disease in newborns led to the creation in 1961 of one of the first neonatal intensive care units, has died at the age of 101.

A virtual tour of the Poole Hospital neonatal unit has gone live, enabling families to see the ward and get a better understanding of what to expect if their child needs neonatal care.

The latest data on preterm birth and neonatal mortality from the Office for National Statistics shows just how urgently action is needed from this government to reduce rates of preterm birth and baby deaths overall.

Doctors and nurses on the frontline, including Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health members, called on the Government to implement a full respiratory syncytial virus immunisation programme for infants and adults and to ensure funding is available for the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to introduce full immunisation programmes.

Swansea University has collaborated with the Human Milk Foundation and portrait artist Leanne Pearce on the Connecting Hearts immersive art exhibition. The launch event in May gave the opportunity to connect with those involved in receiving, donating and supporting human milk banking services.

The Royal College of Midwives is urging politicians and the incoming Government to tackle maternity safety head-on in its pre-election How to Fix and Improve Maternity Safety guide. Breaking down barriers between staff groups by strengthening multidisciplinary training, and ensuring there are enough staff in the right place at the right time with the right skills to mitigate safety risks are fundamental to resolving the challenges in maternity services, says the RCM.

Work began at Royal Surrey’s Special Care Baby Unit in 2020 towards achieving the Unicef Baby Friendly Initiative accreditation and it is the first neonatal unit in its network to achieve the award. Assessors spent two days on the unit talking to parents about their experiences, evaluating the support they received and checking that best practice standards were in place.

In May, two reports were published showing the serious challenges facing maternity and neonatal services in the UK. Taken together, Bliss says these reports highlight the stark reality that some families experience around the time of labour and birth, and the impact of a failure to effectively address the issues that exist across maternity and neonatal services.

70 years ago, Radiometer launched the world’s first commercially available blood gas analyser. Now, 24 million patients a year are benefitting from the venture of what used to be a small Danish company.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has launched its first ‘Challenge’ funding call to tackle inequalities in maternity care. A diverse research consortium will be established by the funding and, over five years, will deliver research and capacity building.

On 8th March more than 150 guests attended the 12th annual Ickle Pickles Incubator Ball, which raised over £70,000 for intensive care equipment for neonatal units in London and the London neonatal transfer service.

BAPM has opened consultation for its new document Recognising uncertainty: an integrated framework for palliative care in perinatal medicine. The document is to be published later in the year and BAPM is inviting comments at the present time.