https://adc.bmj.com/content/103/5/415

Family centred care has been common place on children’s wards fordecades.  Our guest host @NeontalMatron acknowledgesthis has often been different for families on neonatal units.  This aim of this chat was to see how we canchange this for the future.  This is a brief summary, so much more was discussed and as it's a growing area one that we will pick up again in the future.  Thanks to all our contribitors for a lively chat

Question 1 - How can leaders support staff in this culture change ofmoving to family integrated care (FIC)?

• showing by example
• involving families in decision making
• working with teams to a common goal
• empowering and enabling parents
• ensuring that clear and accurate informationis available right from the start would be essential
• encourage questions
• ducate staff about FIC, promote it and helpthem gain the tools to communicate with, educate and support parents.
• dispell any myths.
• be visible & positive.
• support with parental guidelines for skills.

Question 2  - How do parents feel when they are on the neonatal unit?

• worried, concerned, overwhelmed

• confusion, ‘never thought this would happen to me’

• Like you’ve been picked up and placed in someone else’s life -like in the space of a few hours your whole world has tilted on its axis andwouldn’t ever be the same again.

• ‘An intense grief for the loss of being stillpregnant, for the healthy happy first baby days, for your maternity leave, forthe cuddles, normal breastfeeding’

• Loss of control

Question 3 - How can staff support families to be care-givers

• need to give parents opportunities to beinvolved eg feeding, nappy changing, even out for cuddles, when appropriate.

• Education, support, empowerment, reassurance,care

• Getting to know the family, and understand howthey ‘tick’

-         Allowingfamily to document in the clinical records (if partners - in-care)

-         Find the pace of each family, find what theyprioritise and help them achieve that. It’s so individual, even between 2 parents.

-         Let families choose the level of careparticipation, and with encouragement and empowerment their confidence willgrow to take on more care giver responsibilities

-         Ask preferences, listen and support, if possibleoffer comfort squares/muslin to wear during labour, to be placed with baby.Simple gesture, but sets the right tone

Question 4 - What care-giving skills are in the remit of parents?

• Parents are capable of doing amazing levels ofcare for their child. We need to allow them to do whatever they feelcomfortable doing.

• Most parents would want to start with the moretraditional caring elements, nappy change, mouth care etc. As they areincreasing in confidence then move on to things like NG feeds etc

Question 5 - What facilities do we need to provide to improve family experience?

• Space to sit, chairs to sit on, somewhere awayfrom the cotside to get a break without leaving the unit, tea/coffee/snackfacilities, and somewhere to stay overnight

• Access to breastpumps, parking charges, busfares, cost of restaurant food, childcare for other children

• Increasing opportunities for 24hr visiting