Neonatal Expenses Fund: terms and conditions

3. Principles

The following principles will be applied when reimbursing expenses claims.

a) The Neonatal Expenses Fund is designed to provide a contribution towards the cost of having a baby within neonatal care and may not meet the full cost of all travel and subsistence during this time.

b) Both Parents/Guardians/Adult of an eligible baby (hereafter referred to as 'parents') are entitled to claim food and travel expenses when they are both travelling to hospital on the same day. This equates to a maximum of two return travel claims and two subsistence claims per day.

c) Claims can be submitted incrementally during an on-going hospital stay (e.g. weekly) or in full for the entire stay, up to three months, following discharge from either a Neonatal Unit or other ward where a baby is receiving on-going treatment, up until they reach 28 days/4 weeks after birth date for term babies and 4 weeks after due date for babies born early.

d) Parents are expected to use the most cost effective, reasonable means of transport, taking into account the overall cost of the trip.

e) Final judgement as to the most reasonable mode of travel rests with the NHS Board. It is the claimant's responsibility to check in advance of travel if they are in any doubt.

f) NHS Board's may have the facility to pre-book travel, accommodation or provide advances or meal tokens in some circumstances. See Appendix 2 for contact details.

g) Only actual expenditure should be claimed. Claiming expenses that have not been incurred is fraud, and action will be taken against anyone submitting fraudulent claims.

h) Evidence in the form of receipts showing itemised expenditure should be kept and produced for all public transport, accommodation, parking.