Team awarded the Unicef Baby Friendly Award
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust Health Visiting Service and the Coventry Infant Feeding Team have been awarded the Unicef (United Nation’s Children’s Fund) Baby Friendly Award for the support they provide to Coventry mums. Unicef recognises best practice standards are in place following an assessment with mothers using the services.
The Lord Mayor, Councillor Michael Hammon, met the teams earlier today along with a group of mums who had benefitted from the service, and formally presented them with their award.
The Trust is the latest UK health care facility to win this international recognition from Unicef, which recognises best practice standards are in place following an assessment with mothers using the services.
Carmen Baskerville, Specialist Health Visitor and Infant Feeding Lead at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, said: "We decided to join forces with Unicef UK's Baby Friendly Initiative to increase breastfeeding rates and to improve care for all mothers in Coventry.”
“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.”
Carmen added: "Breastfeeding protects babies against a wide range of serious illnesses including gastroenteritis and respiratory infections in infancy, as well as asthma, cardiovascular disease and diabetes in later life. We also know that breastfeeding reduces the mother’s risk of some cancers – although mums might be more interested in hearing that it is easier, cheaper and simply less hassle than bottle feeding.”
Cllr Kamran Caan, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services, said: “This Award is excellent news. Healthy lifestyles start from birth and that’s why it is so important that mums feel able to make the choice for the benefit of their baby.”
Sue Ashmore, Baby Friendly Initiative Programme Director, said: "We are delighted that Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust has achieved full Baby Friendly status. Surveys show us that most mothers want to breastfeed but don’t always get the support they need. Mothers at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust can be confident that their health visitors will provide high standards of care.”
For further information about infant feeding or the Coventry Infant Feeding Service visit www.coventry.gov.uk/infantfeeding.