Baby Friendly Is Best For St Michael's Hospital, Bristol, England

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 19 Nov 2008 - 1:00 PST

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St Michael's is the first hospital in the UK to get the prestigious accreditation using the new staged approach to Baby Friendly assessment and it is the latest healthcare facility to win international recognition from UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund). This means that mothers giving birth in Bristol are sure of getting high quality care when it comes to breastfeeding their babies.

The award will be presented by Sue Ashmore, UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative Programme Director, on 18 November at St Michael's Hospital.

"We decided to join forces with UNICEF UK's Baby Friendly Initiative to increase breastfeeding rates and to improve care for all mothers at St Michael's," says Sarah Windfeld, Head of Midwifery at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust.

"Breastfeeding protects babies against a wide range of serious illnesses including gastroenteritis and respiratory infections in infancy as well as allergies and diabetes in childhood. We also know that breastfeeding reduces the mother's risk of some cancers, is cheaper and simply less hassle than bottle feeding," adds Sally Tedstone, Infant Feeding Co-ordinator at the Trust.

The Baby Friendly Initiative, set up by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, is a global programme which provides a practical and effective way for health services to improve the care provided for all mothers and babies. In the UK, the initiative works with health professionals to ensure that mothers and babies receive high-quality support to enable successful breastfeeding. The Award is given to hospitals after an assessment by a UNICEF team has shown that recognised best practice standards are in place.

"We are delighted that St Michael's Hospital has achieved full Baby Friendly status," said UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative Programme Director, Sue Ashmore. "Surveys show us that most mothers want to breastfeed but don't always get the support they need. Mothers at St Michael's can be confident that their midwives will provide the highest standard of care."

*St Michael's Hospital and Southmead Hospital both have Baby Friendly accreditation and Bristol Primary Care Trust has the Certificate of Commitment, making Bristol one of the UK's most baby-friendly cities.

About the Baby Friendly Initiative

The Baby Friendly Initiative - a global programme set up in 1991 by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation to tackle fast-falling breastfeeding levels - requires Maternity Units to implement the "Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding". These steps include:

- Having policies to protect and support breastfeeding

- Training for all staff in how to protect and support breastfeeding

- Education for all parents to give them full informed choice about how to feed their baby

- Education for mothers on how to attach their baby for breastfeeding and how to express milk

- Practices such as keeping mothers and babies together at all times (rooming in)

- Encouraging skin-to-skin contact and feeding soon after birth

- Encouraging breastfeeding on demand

- For full information on the Ten Steps visit www.babyfriendly.org.uk/page.asp?page=60.

It usually takes units 4-5 years to implement all the steps, and hospitals must pass a thorough assessment by UNICEF professional staff before they are awarded full Baby Friendly Accreditation. Though it may initially seem a long time and a lot of work, units that have been through the process report that staff have a higher sense of morale and pride in what they do, and women who give birth in Baby Friendly Hospitals report a higher level of satisfaction.

Independent research has shown that Baby Friendly accreditation works. It is the first ever national initiative to consistently increase breastfeeding rates in the UK, which is why in July 2006 the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice) published post-natal guidelines recommending that all hospitals should achieve Baby Friendly accreditation.

Source
Adrian Ruck
Media Relations Manager
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
http://www.uhbristol.nhs.uk