The Right to Neonatal Care Leave and Pay

On April 6th 2025, a brand-new law will come into force around Neonatal Care and your responsibilities as an employer.

And if it’s not on your radar, it needs to be.

This change will need to be reflected in all documents across ALL businesses: doing nothing isn’t an option.

• The new right to neonatal care leave and pay is expected to benefit around 60,000 new parents.
• Measures ensure employed parents can focus on supporting their new family without worrying about choosing between keeping their job and spending time with their baby. 

The new law comes in response to the fact that many working families across the UK have to return to work while their babies are sick in hospital.  These new measures aim to address some of the difficulties that thousands of parents face when their baby is in neonatal care.  

Thousands of working families with babies in neonatal care, from 6th April 2025, will be entitled to additional time off as a day one right.  This will allow families to be by their child’s side without having to work throughout or use up their existing leave. 

"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 7 full days or longer. These measures will allow eligible parents to take up to 12 weeks of leave (and, if eligible, pay) on top of any other leave they may be entitled to, including maternity and paternity leave." - Gov.uk

Get ready for the changes now, and make sure your policies and documents are up to date.  If you're not sure what steps you need to take, reach out to us for advice.