Neonatal team celebrates achieving UNICEF accreditation
Posted Thursday, January 18, 2024 12:41 PM
The Neonatal unit at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded Stage 2 Baby Friendly Initiative accreditation by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The accreditation recognises that neonatal colleagues at the Trust implement Baby Friendly standards to support parents (and siblings) to have close and loving relationships with their baby, promote the use of breastmilk and breastfeeding and encourage an environment where parents are involved as partners in care.
The award also showcases the Trust’s positive approach towards implementing Baby Friendly standards for neonatal units and how they consistently display enthusiasm and commitment towards providing an effective training programme.
The Neonatal Unit at Sherwood Forest Hospitals is one of the few units nationally that have achieved this stage, prior to full accreditation, before the target set by the three-year plan of all maternity and neonatal units achieving the standard for BF1 by March 2027.
Kimberley Hastings, Neonatal Specialist Nurse at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “We are incredibly proud to achieve stage two baby-friendly accreditation for the neonatal unit. The whole team worked so hard to achieve this and ensure that the babies and their families are at the heart of our care. We are looking forward to working towards stage three early next year. I am so proud of the whole NICU team.”
Rhian Cope, Matron for Children and Young People at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “I am incredibly proud of all the hard work the team has put in over the last two years to achieve stage 2 accreditation for BFI Neonatal Standards. This demonstrates the team’s commitment to attending education and increasing their wider knowledge around infant feeding, which will ripple out to the families we provide care for and support as partners in care. Thank you to everyone involved.”
Find out more about the accreditation on UNICEF's website.
