Watford General Hospital neonatal unit achieves Bliss Baby Charter Gold

We are delighted to announce that Watford General Hospital neonatal unit has successfully completed its Gold accreditation and 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. This facilitates a solid foundation for Family Integrated Care.

The Bliss Baby Charter accreditation was carried out on 24 March 2026. with a presentation ceremony following on 24 September 2026. 

The assessment team found that staff have made great efforts to individualise care for families, tailoring support offered rather than making assumptions about families’ needs. The close-knit team across all disciplines shared a clear sense that family-integrated care belongs to everyone, and this came through not only in interviews but in what the team observed on the ward.

Particular highlights included:

• a dedicated communication box available on the unit, containing Makaton cards, hearing aid batteries, note pads for families with hearing loss and procedure descriptions in multiple languages
• information can be shared in up to 12 languages and the Trust website can be translated
• one cot is electronically operated to allow wheelchair users to get their baby out independently, and ITU and HDU doors open automatically, with plans to extend this across the unit
• parents described the psychologist as visible and easy to approach, with posters throughout the unit making families aware of the service from admission
• support with getting involved with babies' cares and with expressing is provided early on. 

Elvira Baker, Baby Charter Lead at the unit said:

"The Bliss accreditation process has encouraged us to look beyond individual practices and consider how we can create a consistent experience for families across the whole neonatal journey.  It has strengthened our focus on listening to, and responding to, the experiences, needs and expectations of families.

"I would like to sincerely thank all of the staff who have contributed to the accreditation journey, with particular thanks to Sarah, Imelda, Sophie and Aaliya for their significant commitment. 

"This achievement would not have been possible without the dedication, time and effort of colleagues across the neonatal and wider multidisciplinary team."