The Little Roo Neonatal Fund supports babies and families on the NICU at St Peter’s Hospital and aims to gift a book to every family to read to their baby who is being cared for on the unit.

Testing has begun of hundreds of babies for more than 200 rare genetic conditions as part of a world-leading study in NHS hospitals that aims to screen up to 100,000 newborns in England. The pioneering study aims to identify conditions such as metachromatic leukodystrophy in babies sooner and could enable hundreds to benefit from earlier diagnosis and treatment that could help slow the progression of disease and improve or even extend their lives.

The next phase of the Avoiding Brain Injuries (ABC) programme to improve and personalise maternity care and reduce the risk of two significant contributors to avoidable brain injury in childbirth commences with the rollout of a pilot training phase across nine maternity services in England.

Two years ago, Dr Michael Fernando, consultant paediatrician and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s associate medical director at Yeovil Hospital, was asked by the Rotary International President’s Special Representative to Afghanistan, Katerina Kotsali-Papadimitriou, to run the ‘Helping Babies Breathe’ programme in Afghanistan, along with Rotary clubs in Afghanistan – led by Rameen Javid from Rotary Kabul City.

The National Bereavement Care Pathway in Scotland has been praised by bereaved families and health professionals caring for bereaved families, who took part in an evaluation of bereavement care in Scotland. A recently published report shows that bereavement care improved following the introduction of the pathway in Scotland.

In time with the newly announced ministerial poverty taskforce, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has updated its position statement on poverty as a key driver of child health inequalities. This publication highlights that 30% of children are now living in poverty and this figure is contributing to the worsening health of the UK.

The Royal College of Midwives has welcomed the recent announcement from Health Improvement Scotland that routine inspections of maternity services across Scotland will begin in January 2025. However, it has cautioned that there are limitations as the work to develop specific maternity standards has not yet started.

Newborn babies who need care on the special care baby unit at Yeovil Hospital are now able to undergo diagnosis and treatment for jaundice within minutes.

It was revealed by the BBC that lapses in hygiene had allowed a superbug to spread through Bradford Royal Infirmary’s (BRI) neonatal intensive care unit in November 2021. Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said it had brought in new infection control measures, staff and training after the outbreak.

The PEEPS charity works to support those affected by hypoxic ischaemic encepalopathy and in July it was awarded multi-year funding for the first time to support its work.

This consultation is one step in a broader process led by the WHO Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing (MCA) towards creating a comprehensive framework that supports maternal wellbeing across diverse environments and cultures.

The UK Health Security Agency urges pregnant women to get vaccinated to protect their newborn babies as whooping cough cases rise to over 10,000.