This is the latest edition of our featured chart, where we take a closer look at some of the insights on our  data hub. The National Neonatal Audit Programme (NNAP) assesses whether babies admitted to neonatal units receive high-quality care and identifies areas for improvement.  

Preterm birth, where babies are born before 37+0 weeks gestation, is a key driver of mortality in neonatal care, with almost three quarters of neonatal deaths being among preterm babies in 2024. NNAP reports on six optimal perinatal care measures that, if successfully implemented, are known to improve the outcomes for preterm babies. 

NNAP’s latest report, showing 2024 data, found unacceptable variation in the proportion of preterm babies receiving optimal care across neonatal networks in Great Britain.

Only 1 in 5 preterm neonates receive all the optimal care measures that they would be eligible for.  

 

Reducing unwarranted variation is essential to save more babies’ lives who are born preterm and are at higher risk of neonatal death.  

This month, we have published a briefing looking in more detail at the six NNAP  optimal perinatal care measures, delving into the evidence behind them and analysing level of adherence to understand  why variation in the implementation of these measures  exists, and to what extent  variation has an impact on overall outcomes.   

Links: 

Interactive featured chart on our data hub