Parent Portal

The Parent Advisory Group (PAG) is a group of parents/carers who have had a baby stay on a neonatal unit in the East of England region. The group of parents/carers share their diverse views and experiences to support improvements and changes in neonatal care in the region. PAG members play a vital role in working with neonatal services to improve outcomes and experiences for families.

The Parent Advisory Group is currently open to new members through our simple recruitment process. We welcome parents/carers from all backgrounds, with a variety of experiences. For more information including how to become a PAG member, please complete this form Joining Neonatal Parent Advisory Group  – Fill in form or email eoeneonatalpag@gmail.com

ODN Conference- Working together

On the 21^st November 2025 we hosted a shared conference with maternity and neonatal colleagues in the EOE on the theme of ‘Working together’. Not only did this theme apply to fostering close working between maternity and neonatal services which we continually strive towards, but it was also a day to showcase the close working together with families who have used our maternity and neonatal services, supporting our commitment to Listening to families, Co- Production and Family Integrated Care where parents are partners in neonatal care.

Throughout the day we heard about projects that parents had co-produced with our regions’ healthcare professionals. Parents working as partners with the teams were instrumental in generating the ideas and identifying the need for projects, helping design them, evaluate them and find innovative ways to implement the findings.

Some examples from the day included:

• Breaking down barriers for deaf women in maternity care
• Standardising parent education and resources to improve skin to skin on neonatal units
• Enhancing post discharge support for neonatal families
• Using Hope boxes to support families when they are separated due to safeguarding concerns

It was wonderful to see parents present with the team and hear from them through videos, quotes and research findings based on parent-interviews.

There are lots of ways to be involved in work to improve services in the EOE- from a few minutes (giving feedback) to a whole day (coming to join us to deliver a regional study day). Find out more by looking on our Parent Portal

Working well together – what are the principles?

Contributors to our conference worked within principles we know are critical to bring co-production into practice:

Equality– Everyone has something to bring to the project, and no person is more important than another.

Diversity– striving to ensure that groups that are underrepresented or often excluded from work are included and facilitated to do so.

Accessibility:  Everyone has the same opportunities to take part in a way that works for them

Reciprocity: Ensuring people who give their time and expertise gain something from taking part and that they are valued

Please keep coming back to our website to find out more about some of these projects and contact our team if you’d like to be involved. We’d love to hear from you.