'Lifeline' neonatal service in the North East is saved by new funding
Leo's Neonatal, the only dedicated neonatal trauma support service in the region, has received backing from law firm Slater and Gordon.
The Teesside-based charity, which supports the mental health and wellbeing of families affected by neonatal trauma, had been at risk of reducing its services due to a drop in funding and donations.
(Image: LEO'S NEONATAL CHARITY) Founded in 2018, Leo's provides therapies such as Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), trauma-focused talking therapies, Flash and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
The charity has thousands of contacts with families across the North East each year and has seen increasing demand, with a 100 percent referral rate for mental health support from clinical staff.
However, due to a drop in funding and donations, Leo's was forced to consider the future of some of its services – including its neonatal trauma support, which is the only dedicated service of its kind in the region, offering specialist lived experience mentoring and targeted trauma interventions.
(Image: LEO'S NEONATAL CHARITY) Leo's founder and CEO, Lottie King, said losing the trauma support service would have been devastating for parents facing grief and trauma.
Lottie established the charity in memory of her son, Leo, who died shortly after birth in 2015. His twin, Oska, was in the Special Care Baby Unit at North Tees Hospital for over 100 days after being born four days later.
Now, law firm Slater and Gordon has partnered with Leo's – which received a Points of Light award from then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson for its life-changing impact – to deliver the funding to enable its specialist support for families in need to continue.
Lottie said: 'Our neonatal trauma service has proved a lifeline to so many parents and it would have been absolutely devastating if we had to close.
'The need for specialist support for neonatal parents who have been impacted by grief and trauma is massive and increasing all the time, and it doesn't bear thinking about if we had to turn them away.
"In addition to the huge pressure on NHS resources and long waiting lists for mental health support, there is no guarantee parents affected by neonatal trauma will be able to see a specialist – and at Leo's, our team know through their own lived experience how vital it is that specialist support is available."
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John Lowther, senior associate at Slater and Gordon in Newcastle, said: 'Leo's Neonatal has supported countless families across our region during some of their darkest days, and demand for their services is growing all the time.
"This charity was born out of lived experience and has identified a range of areas in which specialist therapies, support and interventions can positively impact the lives of parents and children at times when they need it most.
'We are really delighted to partner with Lottie and her amazing team, and to be able to give our backing to the dedicated neonatal trauma support service, which we know plays such a critical role in the mental health of so many parents.
"Knowing the impact of this service, and the growing demand Leo's faces to deliver it, its closure is unthinkable. We are so pleased we can help them to continue their life-changing work.'
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