Neonatal Care Leave: Parents to receive day one right to leave and pay

The Department for Business and Trade has now confirmed that the day one right to Neonatal Care Leave for working families with babies in neonatal care will be introduced from 6 April this year, following the passing of the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act in 2023.

As the law currently stands, many working families have to return to work while their babies are sick in hospital or their time on paternity or maternity leave is spent being with their baby in hospital, and these new measures aim to address some of the difficulties faced by parents when their baby is in neonatal care.

Neonatal Care Leave will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into neonatal care up to 28 days’ old and who have a continuous stay in hospital of seven full days or longer. This will only apply to babies born on or after 6 April 2025.

These measures will allow parents to take up to 12 weeks of leave in addition to any other leave they may be entitled to (e.g. maternity and paternity leave). Neonatal Care Leave will be a day one right, meaning that it will be available to an employee from their first day in a new job.

Alongside the leave entitlement, Statutory Neonatal Care Pay will be available to those who meet continuity of service requirements and a minimum earnings threshold.

This additional leave and pay will give parents essential time to ensure they’re able to give all their energy to supporting their newborn baby/ babies, as well as their partner and families, without having to worry about work (or potentially finances).

Ahead of 6 April, it’s important for employers to review and update family-friendly, compassionate leave, and/ or bereavement leave policies to ensure they reflect the incoming change. It is expected that the new legislation will benefit around 60,000 new parents, according to government data.