NHS Lanarkshire wins ‘Baby Friendly Award’ from Unicef

The international award is given to services that display best standard practices to protect, promote and support breastfeeding and to strengthen mother-baby and family relationships.

The award commended staff for their work to maintain their standards.

Anne Armstrong, divisional nurse director, said: “We are extremely proud NHS Lanarkshire has been re-accredited as baby friendly. It is testament to the hard work and dedication of healthcare staff across Lanarkshire.

“The assessment included interviews with 21 members of staff and 44 new mums. All the mums said they were very happy with the care they received and the assessment team were impressed by the mother-centred way staff discussed relationships.”

The Baby Friendly Initiative, set up by Unicef and the World Health Organisation, provides a practical and effective way for health services to improve the care provided for mothers and babies.

Anne Marie Bruce, infant feeding development midwife, added: “The team was also highly commented for arranging the 2018 Breastfeeding Summit, which engaged all staff groups to explore what can be implemented to increase breastfeeding rates throughout Lanarkshire.”

Find your nearest breastfeeding support group at www.feedgoodfactor.org.uk.