The Bliss Baby Charter Accreditation awards neonatal units that deliver high quality care to babies and support for their families. It was developed by Bliss to help hospitals caring for premature and sick babies to assess the care they provide and identify areas for improvement. Throughout the accreditation process, Bliss recognises and rewards excellence in the care delivered by neonatal units all the while supporting units to improve their practice.
Queen Alexandra neonatal unit were the second unit in the UK to receive Bliss Baby Charter Accreditation in 2016 (the award lasts for three years before the unit is re-assessed). Queen Alexandra are the first neonatal unit to receive Bliss Baby Charter Accreditation for the second time, a huge achievement. The staff on the unit were clearly able to demonstrate that changes made to improve their family-centred care, back in 2016, are well embedded and that they continue to adapt to further meet the needs of families and their babies.
Chelsie Letts, Bliss Baby Charter Project Lead, who carried out the assessment alongside Volunteer Assessors said: "We were impressed by many aspects of the unit's care but what particularly stood out was the collaborative work of the family support team, and the way that parents are given autonomy for developing their skills in caring for their baby on the unit."
Emma, mum to Tristian, said: "The team supported us from the moment l was admitted at 31+1, all the way through his stay and post discharge. They encouraged us every step of the way to look after our son where we could and checked we were holding up okay. The breastfeeding support l received with was so helpful & we are still going strong 9 months later as a result."
