Worcestershire neonatal care recognised among the best in the country with Gold Award

Worcestershire neonatal care recognised among the best in the country with Gold Award

Parents of babies who need specialist neonatal care in Worcestershire can be confident they are receiving the highest standards of care after the Neonatal Unit at Worcestershire Royal Hospital received a highly regarded national award.

Worcestershire Royal Hospital is one of just 10 hospitals in England and two in the West Midlands to achieve the Bliss Baby Charter Gold Award after a detailed review of the neonatal service.

The Gold Award recognises neonatal units that demonstrate the highest standards of family-centred care. Part of the Bliss Baby Charter, the special accreditation is provided by Bliss, the national charity supporting babies born premature or sick.

As part of their assessment, Bliss praised staff on the unit for their strong teamwork, knowledge, and commitment to involving parents in their baby’s care.

Shauna Neuman, whose daughter, Autumn, was born more than 10 weeks premature, said: “Everyone always asks us how was your experience, it must have been so scary and upsetting, but for us it wasn’t like that. The Worcester neonatal team made you feel like family. I enjoyed coming in to see Autumn but also to see all of the lovely nurses. I will never stop singing their praises.

“It didn’t stop when we were discharged home. We were under outreach for a good few months as Autumn had oxygen requirements. I remember being so scared, but I didn’t need to be, I was taught how to manage, change and clean the oxygen tubes so thoroughly and the support was always there at the other end of the line. Even 10 months later, we visit occasionally and are forever grateful to the team who saved and nourished our little girl,” added Shauna.

Charlotte Damiral, Bliss Baby Charter Programme Officer, who was part of the Bliss assessment team, said: “There was clear evidence of a shared commitment to placing families at the centre of care, with staff consistently recognising the importance of involving parents and carers as partners in their baby’s care and celebrating these steps with them.

“The team was particularly impressed by the level of psychological and trauma-informed awareness demonstrated not only by the Psychologist, but by staff across the wider multi-disciplinary team, reflecting a shared understanding of the emotional impact of neonatal care on families.”

Mel Pople, the unit’s Family Integrated Care Lead, said: “Family Integrated Care here has developed and improved so much. Having the Bliss Baby Charter Accreditation to work towards supports the whole team’s understanding and provides clear direction. We care for and support the whole family as well as their baby, because we know that the best possible outcomes will come from the parents feeling confident, competent and attuned to meeting their baby’s needs.”

Amrat Mahal, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, said: “We are delighted to have achieved the Bliss Gold Accreditation. This recognition reflects the outstanding care, dedication and professionalism of our neonatal teams and their commitment to supporting babies and families through every stage of their neonatal journey.”