Special Care Baby Unit passes Unicef inspection with flying colours
Harrogate District Hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) has successfully been reaccredited as Unicef Baby Friendly, with new mums saying that staff are kind and considerate, and all mums saying they were very happy with the level of care provided.
The Baby Friendly Initiative, set up by UNICEF and the World Health Organization, is a global programme which provides a practical and effective way for health services to improve the care provided for mothers and babies. It is based on a comprehensive set of standards designed to provide parents with the best possible care to build close and loving relationships with their baby, and to feed their baby in ways which will support optimum health and development.
The Special Care Baby Unit looks after babies that are born from 32 weeks gestation to term. There are seven special care cots, providing short and medium term care for sick and preterm infants, and one intensive care cot. The unit is well serviced with specialised equipment and expertise to provide care for babies who require specialised nursing. There are two parert bedrooms with kitchen and bathroom facilities.
There is also a dedicated breastfeeding room. Breast pumps are available for use on the Unit and may be able to be borrowed for use at home while the baby remains on the Unit.
SCBU’s accreditation demonstrates the unit’s commitment to providing the highest quality care for the hospital’s youngest patients and their families.
To meet the standard, SCBU was judged against a set of criteria including supporting parents to have a close and loving relationship with their baby; enabling babies to receive breastmilk and to breastfeed when possible; and to value parents as partners in care. These standards are independently assessed by Unicef.
Julie Walker, Matron for Paediatric Services at Harrogate District Hospital, said: “I’m so proud of my colleagues in the Special Care Baby Unit. This reaccreditation is entirely due to their hard work and dedication to providing the best possible care for new arrivals, mums and their families. So much work goes into this achievement.
“The Unicef inspector said she’s seen a significant difference since her last visit two years ago and is encouraging us to go further. All the team should feel immensely proud of the work they have achieved.
“The award give assurance to mums-to-be that we are completely focused on providing high quality care. Thank you to colleagues, and to mums and their families, for their part in these achievements. The challenge now is to continue our efforts, keep innovating and do even more for our families.”
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Paul Widdowfield, Communications and Marketing Manager, [email protected] and 01423 557470.
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Harrogate District Hospital’s Maternity Unit has become only the second in the whole of the UK to be awarded Unicef’s Baby Friendly Initiative Gold Award – plus the hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) has become the second in the whole of the UK to be awarded Unicef Baby Friendly Accreditation.
This combination of both a Gold award for Maternity and full accreditation for SCBU is the first of its kind in the whole of the UK.
Mum Hannah with baby Harrison and Special Care Baby Unit staff.
The Baby Friendly Initiative, set up by UNICEF and the World Health Organization, is a global programme which provides a practical and effective way for health services to improve the care provided for mothers and babies. It is based on a comprehensive set of standards designed to provide parents with the best possible care to build close and loving relationships with their baby, and to feed their baby in ways which will support optimum health and development.
Harrogate District Hospital’s Maternity Unit has held full Unicef Baby Friendly Accreditation since 2002, with the Gold Award – set up in November 2016 – requiring extra work and development to further enhance standards of care and ensure long-term sustainability. Gold is the highest level it’s possible to achieve.
This involved ensuring 16 criteria are met, including a named Baby Friendly lead/team with sufficient knowledge and skills; support for ongoing staff learning and mechanisms in place to support a positive culture; and ensuring staff skills remain up-to-date. The Unit also needed to demonstrate it is responsive to change and can provide evidence of improved patient outcomes. These criteria are independently assessed by a Unicef representative.
SCBU’s full accreditation demonstrates the unit’s commitment to providing the highest quality care for the hospital’s youngest patients and their families.
To meet the standard, SCBU was judged against a set of criteria including supporting parents to have a close and loving relationship with their baby; enabling babies to receive breastmilk and to breastfeed when possible; and to value parents as partners in care. Again, these standards are independently assessed by Unicef.
Mum Haibo with baby Dylan and Maternity Unit staff.
Sue Ashmore, Programme Director, UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative, said: “Harrogate is the first service in the country to receive both a Gold award for their maternity service and full accreditation for the neonatal unit. It is a fantastic achievement and a testament to, not only the hard work of all the staff, but to the innovative and ‘can do’ culture within the service. Not only have they improved the care of mothers and babies in Harrogate, the staff have also shown others what can be done, which will hopefully influence improvements in care for all mothers and babies in the UK.”
Alison Pedlingham, Head of Midwifery at Harrogate District Hospital, said: “I’m so proud of my colleagues in both the Maternity Unit and the Special Care Baby Unit. These awards are entirely due to their hard work and dedication to providing the best possible care for new arrivals, mums and their families. So much work has gone into these achievements.
“These awards give assurance to mums-to-be that we are completely focused on providing high quality care. Thank you to colleagues, and to mums and their families, for their part in these achievements. The challenge now is to continue our efforts and to maintain these high standards over the coming years.”
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Paul Widdowfield, Communications and Marketing Manager, [email protected] and 01423 557470.
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Eight year old Phoebe Kendall from Pateley Bridge has raised over £500 for Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity and the Little Princess Trust simply by having a haircut!
Having always been her pride and joy, Phoebe’s hair was very long, flowing down below her waist. But on 22 December, Phoebe asked her hairdresser to give her a shorter haircut so that she could donate the cut hair to the Little Princess Trust, which uses donated hair to make real hair wigs for children that have lost their own hair through cancer treatment.
As this was such a big change for Phoebe, she also decided that she wanted to ask people to sponsor her to have her hair cut, and wanted to raise money for poorly babies so chose to support the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at Harrogate District Hospital.
Phoebe said: “I wanted my hair to go to someone who didn’t have any as I would be very sad not to have hair. When Mummy’s friend said about being sponsored I wanted to help babies on Special Care. Harrogate Hospital has looked after me and my brother when we have been poorly on the children’s ward.”
Phoebe’s mum, Louise Kendall, a childminder in Pateley Bridge, said: “I am so proud of my daughter. Her hair has always been her pride and joy and it was a struggle to get her to have a trim! So when the night before her ‘trim’ appointment she said she would like to have a ‘big’ cut to send hair to little girls with no hair, I was lost for words. My friend suggested she was sponsored to do it to which she said she wanted to raise money for poorly babies at the hospital. Her aim was to raise £100 so to raise over £500 she is ecstatic. Everyone who knows Phoebe knows what her hair means to her so this is a massive gift for her to give!”
Phoebe’s hairdresser, Kate Marshall, was delighted to have the honour of cutting Phoebe’s hair following her own experience of the Special Care Baby Unit. She said: “I was privileged to be asked to cut Phoebe’s hair as she was donating it to The Little Princess Trust and wanted to raise money for SCBU which is very close to my heart due to giving birth to my twins 13 weeks early and then spending 14 weeks in three different special care units getting incredibly cared for. The staff at the unit are amazing. They really don’t get enough credit for the long, demanding hours that they put in.“
David Fisher, Community and Events Fundraiser at Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity, said: “Thanks to the amazing support of people like Phoebe, Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity is able to provide funds to pay for specialist equipment, research and patient and family support services for that would otherwise not be there, making a real difference to patients and their families when they need it most. Phoebe is an inspirational young lady, and we are very grateful for her kindness and thoughtfulness towards others. We would like to thank Phoebe and everyone who has sponsored her for their fantastic support.”
Anyone wanting to add their support for Phoebe’s fundraising can make a donation to her justgiving page: www.justgiving.com/Phoebe-kendall2.
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