Neonatal Care Leave and Pay

From 6 April 2025, the University is introducing Neonatal Care Leave to support parents of newborns requiring neonatal care for seven or more consecutive days (not counting the day the neonatal care starts) within 28 days of birth. The aim of this leave is to allow eligible parents dedicated time to spend with their babies in hospital, without using up their other family leave entitlements (e.g., maternity, partner, shared parental or adoption leave).

Eligible parents will also be entitled to statutory Neonatal Care Pay.  This will be paid at the statutory rate or 90% of average weekly earnings (whichever is less). 

The University is extending statutory Neonatal Care Leave to parents of babies born before 6 April 2025, who meet the eligibility criteria, provided the leave is taken within 68 weeks of the child’s birth.

For mothers/lead adopters, Neonatal Care Leave will usually be taken after the end of their maternity or adoption leave.  This is because if maternity/adoption leave is interrupted, parents will lose their entitlement to maternity/adoption leave.  Partners may choose to bring forward their partner leave in People and Money before taking Neonatal Care Leave, which is paid at the statutory rate. 

If you think you could be eligible to take Neonatal Care Leave, please refer to the relevant policy for the other family leave you are taking below, and specifically the section on ‘Neonatal Care Leave’:

You should speak to your manager, and they will be able to book your leave using the relevant booking form on the HR A – Z of Forms webpage.  There is one booking form for mothers/lead adopters and one form for partners.   

Please find some frequently asked questions on Neonatal Care Leave below.

Neonatal leave is medical care a baby receives in hospital (which includes a maternity home, clinics and outpatient departments).  Neonatal care also includes ongoing monitoring and home visits from healthcare professionals directed by a consultant and arranged by the hospital where a baby was an inpatient. It includes palliative or end of life care.


Neonatal Care Leave will be a day one right for eligible employees.

The leave will be available to parents of babies who receive neonatal care for seven consecutive days (not counting the day on which the neonatal care starts) within 28 days of their birth. This essentially means that parents will be entitled to Neonatal Care Leave after day eight of neonatal care. 

Neonatal Care Leave is available to adoptive parents (provided the neonatal care takes place following the baby’s placement) and intended parents in the case of surrogacy. It is also available to the partner of the child’s mother, where they expect to have responsibility for bringing up the child.

Parents must meet eligibility criteria for statutory neonatal care pay (SNCP), depending on their length of service and their earnings. The eligibility requirements are set-out on the Government webpages. If a parent is already entitled to statutory maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave pay then they will also be entitled to SNCP. SNCP will be paid at the statutory rate or 90% of average weekly earnings (whichever is less) per week.


The minimum number of weeks that can be taken is one week, and the maximum is 12 weeks. 

Employees will be entitled to one week of Neonatal Care Leave after their baby has received neonatal care for seven consecutive days (not counting the day on which the neonatal care starts). They will then be entitled to one week of leave for each further full week of neonatal care.  For example, if neonatal care starts on a Monday, parents would be entitled to a week of NCL after the Tuesday the following week. If the baby stays in neonatal care for another full week beyond that Tuesday, the parents would be entitled to another week of NCL.

Neonatal Care Leave must be taken in minimum blocks of one week. If the leave is taken while the baby is receiving neonatal care or within seven days following the baby's discharge from care, the weeks of leave do not need to be taken consecutively. However, if Neonatal Care Leave is taken at any time beyond seven days after discharge, then the leave weeks must be taken consecutively.


If Neonatal Care Leave is taken during the time a baby is receiving neonatal care, or within seven days following their discharge, then employees should give their manager as much notice as they can, in the circumstances, before taking the leave. 

Following this period, parents must give at least 15 days’ notice before taking Neonatal Care Leave.


Your manager should complete the relevant booking form (on the HR A – Z of Forms webpage) with the details of all babies from the same pregnancy who received neonatal care.

To qualify for leave, at least one baby must receive neonatal care for seven consecutive days (not counting the day the neonatal care starts). It is not enough if one baby receives neonatal care for less than a week, and then another baby receives it for less than a week, even if the overall period is more than a week.

NCL cannot be claimed twice if you have twins, and more than one baby received neonatal care at the same time.  The maximum length of Neonatal Care Leave remains 12 weeks, and the leave must be used within 68 weeks from the day the first child is born.


We understand that experiencing neonatal care can be a difficult and distressing time for parents. The University has several wellbeing support services to assist employees, including an Employee Assistance Programme.   

Employees may also want to discuss with their managers taking appropriate leave under the Special Leave Policy.


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