Neonatal staff commitment to supporting newborn feeding rewarded by UNICEF accreditation
Posted: 25 October 2023
The commitment of the trust’s neonatal staff to support infant
feeding and family-integrated care has been recognised with UNICEF UK Baby
Friendly Initiative stage 2 accreditation. The UNICEF UK Baby Friendly
Initiative (BFI) provides an evidence-based approach to supporting breastfeeding
and good infant nutrition, and helping parents develop close and loving
relationships with their babies.
The stage 2 accreditation is granted when staff have received the relevant
training to help families reach informed decisions on breastfeeding. The
neonatal team's achievement followed the success of their colleagues in
maternity, who also achieved stage 2 accreditation in 2020.
Neonatal and maternity teams are now embarking on the next stage of the journey
to reach stage 3 accreditation. This phase, to be completed within the coming
year, will assess which parents have been supported in developing a close and
loving relationship with their newborns.
Sarah Guest, infant feeding lead nurse, said: “We've achieved stage 2
accreditation through dedication and teamwork. We are proud to be championing
the importance of breastfeeding and good infant nutrition for new parents and
infants.”
“As we move towards stage 3, our focus is on engaging with parents, ensuring
they receive the vital support required to foster intimate, loving connections
and be active partners in their baby's care.”
Ends
- For media enquiries, please contact the communications team on: 01923 436280 or email: westherts.communications@nhs.net. For out of hours media enquiries please call the Watford General Hospital switchboard on 01923 244366 and ask for the on call communications manager.
- West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves people from across Hertfordshire, north London and further afield. It operates from three hospitals; Watford General, St Albans City and Hemel Hempstead. The trust has a catchment area of over 500,000 people and is one of the largest employers locally, with around 5,000 staff and volunteers.
- For more information about our hospitals, visit www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk. You can also join our followers on Twitter (twitter.com/westhertsNHS) and find us on Facebook (facebook.com/westhertsNHS).
