St Richard’s Hospital awarded Bliss Baby Charter Accreditation

The assessment was carried out at St Richard’s neonatal unit on 7 December 2021, by Bliss Baby Charter Programme Lead Holly Sullivan, and Volunteer Assessors Jane Tate and Lynne Wainwright. The Baby Charter lead for the unit was Andrea Field.

Zita Warren, Matron at St Richard’s said, “It means so much to me as a Matron as it shows that we as a team are striving continually to get families involved in their baby's care. It also demonstrates how hard our team work continuously to make a vital difference to our babies and families' experiences. It shows that our team is committed and passionate by achieving this prestigious award.”

The staff at St Richard’s are dedicated to providing the best possible service in line with the principles of family-centred care outlined in the Bliss Baby Charter. The consistency of care received by all parents was clearly shown on the day, with every parent interviewed confirming that they had been made to feel extremely special by the staff, as well as always being supported to be involved in their baby’s care and decision making, with one parent stating, “nothing was too much trouble”.

Supporting the family unit as a whole is a key focus for St Richard’s, and this was shown to be a priority despite challenging circumstances due to Covid-19. We were delighted to see St Richard’s commitment to continuous improvement and we look forward to seeing how their unit continues to develop.

Kimberley Rogers, mother to premature twins Amelie and Reuben who were cared for on the unit, said: “St Richard’s neonatal family centred unit was my world for 9 weeks. The staff caring for my 3.5-month premature twins were my family and I was totally reliant upon them to keep my babies alive. Day and night, their dedication and professionalism helped me to become confident looking after my twins covered with wires and tubes and learn how to tube feed then breastfeed and administer medicine so I felt involved in their care too.

“They celebrated every little positive milestone with me as if it were the first babies they had ever cared for and helped support me when there were minor setbacks with understanding and compassion. The whole team really are fantastic - thank you."

Congratulations to the team at St. Richard's neonatal unit on their wonderful achievement!