St Peter’s Hospital neonatal unit receives prestigious Bliss Baby Charter platinum accreditation

On 22 September 2026, St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey, Surrey became one of three hospitals in the UK to hold Platinum Bliss Baby Charter Accreditation. The neonatal unit was presented with the prestigious award by Bliss, following an assessment carried out on 17 June.

The Bliss Baby Charter Accreditation awards neonatal units that deliver high quality care to babies and support for their families. St Peter’s Hospital neonatal unit has demonstrated that there are sufficient procedures, practices, and facilities in place to empower parents and carers to be partners in care through joint decision-making and hands on care, as well as understanding families’ needs and availability in order to provide truly individualised care.

The assessment team observed that the unit at St Peter's is a welcoming and impressive environment for families, with particular highlights from the assessment including inclusive information available in a wide range of languages; an on-site nursery providing free childcare for siblings; feeding support which was described by parents as ‘transformative’; and compassionate bereavement support which goes to considerable lengths to create meaningful memories.

Gemma, mum to Alfie and Freya born at 26+2 weeks said: “We know the best chance our twins had was to be around good people and we certainly were at St Peter’s. They became a family to us, especially with us being at the hospital at all hours.
The team tried everything to save Alfie which we will hold in our hearts forever. Freya went from strength to strength and the energy in the ward really made a difference to her! We are forever grateful for everyone at St Peter’s.”

Bliss Trustee Neil James said: “As a Bliss Trustee, and also as a parent whose child was cared for in the neonatal unit at St Peter’s, I extend my sincere congratulations to the whole team on this impressive and well-deserved achievement. The Bliss Baby Charter is a valuable tool to improve standards on neonatal units by embedding high-quality family integrated care and the unit’s platinum accreditation is a very significant accomplishment.”

Dr. Vennila Ponnusamy, Clinical lead at St Peter’s Neonatal Unit, said: "I am incredibly proud of having a dedicated and passionate team of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and our wonderful support staff including our volunteer chaplain, our local hospice staff, Little Roo Charity manager and our parent peer supporters. They all work hard to keep up with their skills and knowledge, in order to provide excellent standards of care to the babies and their families in our neonatal unit. It is great to see such amazing work being recognised through this Bliss Platinum award."

Fiona England, the Baby Charter lead and Family Care Coordinator at St Peter’s said:
"For most families, an admission to the Neonatal Unit is not expected and the gap between expectations and reality can be extremely difficult to navigate.  At St Peter's Neonatal Unit, we care for the most fragile babies and their families. Parents are recognised as irreplaceable and a family need nurturing in order to grow together.  We believe that by listening to and responding to all families, we can continue to improve the neonatal experience for families, at all stages of their journey."