The maternity services in the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH), along with Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex, are celebrating a successful re-accreditation by the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative.

This prestigious accreditation is awarded to those who have demonstrated their commitment and ability to meeting UNICEF's 'Baby Friendly Best Practise' standards. UNICEF undertook a three day assessment recently and have highly commended the midwives, health visitors, nurses and managers for their innovation and forward thinking. Maternity Services in the Southern Sector of the Trust have demonstrated they are the best unit/sector in Northern Ireland and also have the highest Breastfeeding rates in Northern Ireland.

Midwives, Health visitors, Health Care Assistants and Doctors were assessed over a three day period as part of the assessment. Mothers were also interviewed to assess the standard of care that they had received from the Midwifery, Neo-natal and Health Visiting Services. All parents were able to give good information on forming close loving relationships with their babies as well as being able to describe how to care for their babies in the best ways for good brain development.

UNICEF have highly commended the midwives, health visitors, nurses and managers for their innovation and forward thinking. Maternity Services in the Southern Sector of the Trust have demonstrated they are the best unit/sector in Northern Ireland and also have the highest Breastfeeding rates in Northern Ireland.

Annmarie McDonnell, Breast Feeding Co-ordinator and Specialist Midwife at the South West Acute Hospital said: “Staff within the statutory and community sector of the Western Trust have dedicated a huge amount of time and hard work to this initiative and this partnership is essential to successfully implement UNICEF best standards of care for mothers and babies. We very much appreciate the enthusiasm and foresight of mothers and their partners who wish to give their baby the Best Start in Life. This is a massive achievement for everyone involved in Maternity Services in the Southern Sector of the Trust. We will continue to work towards reaching the Gold Standard award on the recommendation of UNICEF Assessors over the coming months and know with the dedication of our staff we will reach this exciting milestone.”

Mr Kieran Downey, Western Trust Director of Women and Children’s Services added: “Staff within the Western Trust have continued to demonstrate great commitment to the Baby Friendly Initiative and strive to deliver up-to-date services to local families, with the aim to provide consistent messages regarding infant feeding. It is evident that most mothers want to breastfeed but don't always get the effective support they need to do so successfully. It is our aim within the Trust to ensure that all mothers have appropriate information, knowledge and support regarding breastfeeding to make informed decisions on feeding their baby.”