The Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust’s (LPT) health visiting service has been awarded the UNICEF Baby Friendly Award.
The award was given to LPT’s health visiting service following a rigorous assessment process, which showed outstanding best practice standards are in place across the service for new mothers.
Carole Fishwick, infant feeding lead at the LPT, said: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to have thrilled to have received the Baby Friendly accreditation. It represents the culmination of five years’ preparation by the infant feeding and health visiting teams of whom I am extremely proud.’
The support offered to new parents by LPT’s infant feeding specialists and health visiting teams is complemented by a range of additional resources.
These include a dedicated infant feeding website and the free ‘Meals on Heels’ breast feeding support mobile app. The team also provides around 60 trained volunteer breastfeeding peer supporters involved in ante-natal workshops, support groups and provide help and advice to new mums via phone and social media.
‘We will continue to champion the importance of close interaction between mothers and babies in the early stages, to work with GPs and to ensure new parents receive the best, factual information to support their infant feeding choices,’ said Ms Fishwick.
The award was presented on 28 January by Councillor Abdul Osman.
The Baby Friendly Initiative was set up by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation.