Royal Surrey County Hospital awarded Gold Bliss Baby Charter Accreditation

The assessment found that the culture of the Royal Surrey County Hospital neonatal unit is clearly family-centred, with a team culture that enforces mutual trust and respect between staff and families.

It was carried out by Bliss Baby Charter Programme Lead Holly Sullivan, Bliss Baby Charter Programme Officer Nathan Ward, and Volunteer Assessors Baljit Wilkhu and Jane Tate. The Baby Charter lead for the unit was Fiona England.

Overall, it is clear that the unit has sufficient processes and facilities in place to deliver high-quality family-centred care, with a small but dedicated team offering individualised care to babies and providing a welcoming environment for families.

Giezl Pulanco, Unit Manager, said: “The Gold Baby Charter Award truly is a testament to our continued commitment and dedication to providing the highest standards of family-centred care.

"I am extremely proud of the team and I would like to thank all staff and parents who were an amazing credit to our Bliss journey. The contribution of each and everyone has borne fruit. We are looking forward to the next stage!”

The assessment found that information from staff is shared consistently with families, and explanations of procedures and care are delivered clearly and in a timely manner.

Additionally, the unit psychotherapist offers excellent support to families and to staff, whilst staff work hard to promote parent and family wellbeing in a variety of ways. For example, they worked hard to secure free parking for parents with a baby on the neonatal unit.

Stephanie Baker, a parent who had a baby on the unit, said: "I gave birth to my second son Oscar Baker on 28 October 2022 by emergency caesarean section and spent 11 days on Royal Surrey County Hospital's neonatal unit.

"Although the birth had unexpected complications, all the SCBU staff made this challenging time for us much easier. Unfortunately, I also had a post-op complication which led to me having difficulty mobilising.

"However, the SCBU staff were extremely supportive and accommodating, pushing me in a wheelchair from the postnatal ward to SCBU every three hours, and finding me more suitable sleeping arrangements.

"The team were so good at communicating with us all the time and we had a wonderful rapport with each nurse who looked after Oscar. We can't thank the unit enough for the incredible support throughout this time, the team were truly outstanding."