UHNM’s Neonatal Unit receives prestigious national accreditation

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust’s (UHNM) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has gained prestigious national recognition for the care and facilities provided to patients and their families.

The Unit, based within the Royal Stoke University Hospital’s Maternity Centre, has been awarded ‘Bronze’ accreditation by the Bliss Baby Charter. 

The Charter was developed by the national premature baby charity, Bliss, to help hospitals caring for premature and sick babies assess the care they provide and identify areas for improvement.  
 
It consists of an online audit tool which has several stages within the programme which leads to gold accreditation. 

Katy Edwards, NICU Matron at UHNM, said: “This accreditation recognises all the hard work of each member of the team. We are so proud of the service we can provide here at Royal Stoke for babies, parents, and family members. It’s amazing to get regional and national recognition that UHNM can provide that service.

“The award showcases our commitment to family-centred care through the facilities we provide to families during their stay, including recently refurbished sleeping and eating facilities, made possible thanks to UHNM Charity funding. 

“The Charter’s framework is something that our colleague Sarah Russell has been working very hard on, so my thanks goes to Sarah for compiling the required information, policies and supporting evidence which led to the accreditation.   

“I am so proud of this team. We have worked so hard individually and as a team to make sure we provide the best service we can, we are very grateful to our public and our charitable donations to help us with this work.”