Tiny Lives partners with Institute of Health Visiting to fund new project to improve Neonatal training

The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) and Tiny Lives Trust have worked in partnership with Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare to develop a new e-learning session for health visitors working with families to transition from neonatal units to home.

The e-learning session aims to raise awareness of the health visitor’s role in supporting sick and preterm babies. It is intended to complement existing e-Learning for Healthcare training programmes, which are referred to during the session.

The resource was coproduced in partnership with parents of babies who have been on neonatal units.

Kelly Blakeney, Head of the Tiny Lives Trust, said:

“The Tiny Lives Trust helps to ensure the best possible outcomes for neonatal babies and their families throughout the neonatal journey, recognising that having a premature or sick baby can be one of the most difficult and life-changing challenges a family experiences. We are therefore delighted to have funded the new ‘Surviving to Thriving’ project in partnership with The Institute of Health Visiting and Health Education England.

We are especially proud to have been directly involved in developing the e-learning package for Health Visitors interested in becoming a Neonatal Families Ambassador. This package aims to raise awareness with professionals about prematurity and neonatal care, the impact this may have on the longer-term development of the baby and best practice in working with neonatal parents; all of which will contribute to a positive experience for both neonatal families and Health Visitors alike.

We also want to say a huge thank you to the Tiny Lives families who shared their Health Visitor experiences to help facilitate the development of this new package; this real-life feedback really is invaluable in improving care for future neonatal families.”

For more information about the resources, including access details, please visit the e-LfH website.

Additionally, Tiny Lives commissioned the iHV to host two training sessions with 28 health visitors representing all the NE local authority areas. These health visitors will now access the above e-Learning package, and be considered ‘Neonatal Ambassadors’ in their area.