Published 05.08.2022
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust are well on their way to achieving their full Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) accreditation after successfully completing stage one of the process.
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Peterborough City hospital and the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at Hinchingbrooke Hospital received their stage one accreditation in July. NICU and SCBU are two of the eighteen neonatal units that were selected by the UK Committee for UNICEF to be supported in achieving Baby Friendly accreditation from 2021-2024, as part of the UNICEF National Neonatal project.
A BFI lead was appointed to help coordinate the Units through to full accreditation, and then to maintain this culture afterwards. Lyndsey Jolly, Local Maternity Neonatal Services Project Manager and BFI lead for the neonatal units, said: “Having a BFI lead for the NICUs will support a UNICEF baby friendly culture to be embedded on the units, as well as training all staff. We also work collaboratively with our maternity feeding colleagues, to support the best outcomes for our families.
The first stage of the baby friendly assessment procedure is designed to ensure the necessary policies, guidelines and processes are in place to allow healthcare providers to implement the baby friendly standards effectively.
Tracy James, Lead Nurse and Service Manager for Neonatal Services, said: “I am so proud of our teams in SCBU and NICU. This is a wonderful achievement, which will benefit all our babies and families. It has provided a solid foundation upon which to build upon our caring service, responsive to our population need.”
Both units are now working on their stage two accreditation, which is achieved when a service demonstrates that all staff have been educated according to their role, and that this training has prepared staff to care for mothers and families effectively.
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