26 May 2022
The neonatal unit at Frimley Park Hospital has received a Platinum Award from national baby charity Bliss, thanks to “overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents”.
The unit has been re-accredited with the charity’s Platinum status, less than five years after it became one of the first hospitals in the country to achieve Gold status for delivering high quality, family-centred care. Frimley Park’s neonatal unit is now the first local neonatal unit in the country to achieve platinum status.
The re-accreditation assessment was carried out in January with every aspect of care examined, from the unit’s facilities and management of space to provisions for family privacy and the monthly parent support groups.
The evaluation gave the unit a 98.5% rating, recognising the different elements that had been put into place to ensure parents are supported to be fully involved in their baby’s care.
The Bliss Baby Charter was developed to help hospitals caring for premature and sick babies to assess the quality of care they provide and identify areas for improvement The Frimley Park unit was given the Platinum award, which is valid for the next three years, and were praised for their “clear vision on how to continually improve and develop.” The report noted the excellent communication between staff members and families and how the unit specifically tailors the care to suit each family’s needs and requirements.
Embedding the principles of family-centred care are at the heart of the Bliss Baby Charter and this has directly impacted the experience of parents who spend time on the unit. The team at Bliss shared some of the anonymised family feedback in their report.
One parent said: “The care has been exemplary – our expectations blown – they are friendly and amazing. It is easier to leave in the evenings because I know our child is in the best place and in safe hands.”
While another said: “I never felt sad on the unit – there were challenges – but I was always supported by the unit – they facilitated my happiness and baby is now thriving because of their care. I am confident as a mum and I really know my baby.”
June Swanton, Matron for Paediatrics and Neonates said: “I am so incredibly proud of the neonatal team and how they have worked to sustain the highest standards of care for our babies and their families despite the challenges the unit faced through the pandemic. To have the reaccreditation demonstrates the changes we have put in place to meet the developmental needs of our babies and families are embedded as part of the everyday care our nurses give.
“The best part of all was hearing the feedback regarding the culture of our unit and the work we do to include our parents in their babies’ care – it was so positive and heart-warming.”