Current situation.

Within neonatal units there is much variation in the way parents are kept up to date about their child’s condition and care.

In a busy clinical practice it can be difficult to spend enough time with anxious parents.

Families now have access to much more information, e.g. on the world wide web.

This can be helpful but also very confusing when not put into context. There is variation between units in whether permission is routinely sought for certain procedures, e.g. lumbar puncture, central feeding lines.

Parents are often not aware of the benefits and risks of these procedures until something goes wrong.