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Updated minimum staffing guidance for neonatal network pharmacists has been published by the Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacy Group (NPPG).
In interim guidance published in January 2026, the NPPG advises that network-level pharmacists should be employed at 0.2 whole-time equivalents per 10,000 births in the region, at Agenda for Change Band 8c or equivalent.
Neonatal network and regional pharmacists support the standardisation of practice across defined geographical regions, the NPPG guidance said.
It added that neonatal network and regional pharmacists have a range of duties, which include working on development and implementation of guidelines, identifying and supporting savings and efficiencies around the use of medicines in neonates, as well as supporting research projects that aim to improve medicines use in neonates
Nigel Gooding, neonatal pharmacist and regional lead for the NPPG, told The Pharmaceutical Journal: “We really want network pharmacists and posts that can drive through projects at a regional level.”
Gooding also recommended that network pharmacists and posts should focus on medicines optimisation, which would then allow pharmacists at a local level more time to support neonatal patients in their unit.
Only three regional networks in England have substantive neonatal network pharmacist posts, he said, adding that other posts were either fixed-term or based on provision of NHS funding, which is due to expire at the end of March 2026.
Gooding said that the NPPG was working on a business case proposal to support wider funding of substantive neonatal network pharmacist posts.
The updated NPPG recommendations also define the responsibility of neonatal pharmacy teams in the support of transport services, which transfer babies between different care environments.
The level of pharmacy support for transport services should be determined locally and includes pharmacy support around developing and maintaining drug-related transport guidelines, and continuity of medication availability on patient transfer, the NPPG guidance said.
The NPPG’s previous guidance was published in September 2022.
In November 2025, The Pharmaceutical Journal published data that revealed that of 125 NHS hospital trusts with neonatal beds that responded to a Freedom of Information request, just 13% (n=16) met the NPPG staffing standards for neonatal pharmacy.
A further 7% of NHS hospital trusts (n=9) almost or possibly did meet NPPG standards (for instance, depending on allocation of staff time), while 75% (n=94) did not, the data showed.
