Infant Journal
for neonatal and paediatric healthcare professionals

UK first for Bradford Hospital's NICU

A dedicated Bradford neonatal team has been awarded a UK first for its inspiring work.

The neonatal intensive care unit based at Bradford Royal Infirmary, part of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has become the first level 3 unit in the UK to achieve Baby Friendly Initiative accreditation, set up by Unicef and the World Health Organization.

Consultant Neonatologist and Clinical Lead Sunita Seal says: "This prestigious award is testimony to all staff who work tirelessly on the unit to provide such high quality care to parents and their babies."

Breastfeeding Co-ordinator Janette Westman adds: "During the assessment, staff were able to demonstrate how they support parents to have a close and loving relationship with their baby, enable babies to receive breast milk and be breastfed when possible and how parents are valued as partners in care.

"But however a mother chooses to feed her baby, she can be sure that she will be supported to form a strong, loving relationship with her newborn through having maximum skin-to-skin contact and understanding how her baby communicates with her and needs her to respond."

Neonatal Matron Kelly Young adds: "We have been working towards the award for the last three years, with staff training beginning in 2014. In 2016 we were one of only six neonatal units in the country who were successful in achieving charitable funding from the Burdett Trust, to support the unit in moving forward with the implementation of the neonatal standards. This is when we started working in earnest to implement the standards. It's a wonderful achievement and the feedback from parents, which was included in the official report following the assessment, was heart-warming."

This achievement comes in addition to the full Unicef Baby Friendly accreditation achieved by the hospital's women's and newborn unit in 2014.

Consultant Neonatologist and Clinical Lead Sunita Seal, Neonatal Matron Kelly Young, Breastfeeding Co-ordinator Janette Westman and Neonatal Outreach Midwife Anne Seekins.


See our Supplier Guide:
Bradford Royal Infirmary
/ UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative