Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children awarded Gold Baby Charter Accreditation

Delighted staff at the neonatal unit were joined by Minister for Public Health, Maree Todd MSP on October 4, for an official presentation of the award.

Minister Todd said: “I am pleased to congratulate the team at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow for being the first neonatal unit in Scotland to be awarded the Bliss Baby Charter Gold Accreditation.

“The unit is leading the way in delivering family focused care, as outlined in The Best Start, our strategy for maternity and neonatal care, and the achievement of the Bliss Baby Charter Gold Accreditation is a great achievement. The presentation of today’s award reflects the immensely important contribution you all provide for the parents and babies in your care.”

The team at the RHC’s Neonatal Unit impressed assessors with their level of family-centred care, with representatives from the Bliss Baby Charter team praising how well staff worked in partnership with families to deliver services tailored to their needs.

Psychological support and developmental care was highlighted as one of the particular strengths on the unit, with passionate staff and dedicated one-to-one support for each family.

Katie, mum to a premature baby on the unit, said: “Every member of the team enjoys their job and are very positive. Even though there is a heavy medical side, it feels like home.”

Dilmeet, dad to a premature baby on the unit agreed, “Yes, it becomes your second home.”

Ainsley Ballantyne, Senior Charge Nurse at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, said: “We are delighted for everyone across the team to be recognised by Bliss Baby Charter for their continued hard work.

“To be the first neonatal unit in Scotland to be given the Gold Accreditation is an added achievement, given the challenges we face every day as the busiest unit in the country, dealing with some of the most complex cases.

“One of the most rewarding things for us has been hearing parent feedback about how welcoming our staff have been and how they’ve been made to feel at home. During what can be a hugely stressful time for families, it’s so important for us to know we are doing everything we can to provide support.

“With the challenges of the last couple of years, it’s a real morale boost for the staff to see how much their efforts are being recognised and appreciated.”

Caroline Lee-Davey, Chief Executive of Bliss Scotland, said: “The culture of the Royal Hospital for Children neonatal unit is clearly family-centred, with families referencing an extremely welcoming environment with supportive staff who are always keen to listen and encourage parents to be involved in their baby’s care – which is vital to babies having the best possible outcomes.

“We are thrilled to award the unit with the first Gold Baby Charter accreditation in Scotland – it’s an amazing achievement that the whole team should be proud of, and we look forward to continuing to work with neonatal colleagues across Scotland to build on this progress and support the delivery of excellent family-centred care for all babies.”

Charis Clemson, Baby Charter Officer at Bliss Scotland, said: “A huge congratulations to Royal Hospital for Children. Ainsley Ballantyne and Zoe McFall deserve special mentions.

“They coordinated and challenged the whole team on the unit to make the changes required to deliver a standardised level of family-centred care to all families; as well as driving the cultural change necessary to do the very best for every family who walks through the doors of the unit.”

Jamie Redfern, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Director of Women’s and Children’s Services, said: “Our Royal Hospital for Children staff work hard to provide the highest standard of family-centred care and support families and I’m thrilled to see our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit team being recognised for their dedication to this.

“They have worked tirelessly to become the first unit of their kind in Scotland to achieve Gold Accreditation from the Baby Bliss Charter and we are so proud of everyone involved.”