UNICEF UK Ambassador Elle Macpherson today met with staff and new mums at The Royal Oldham Hospital to celebrate ten years of being Baby Friendly.

The Royal Oldham Hospital was one of the first hospitals in the UK to gain UNICEF Baby Friendly Accreditation – a globally recognised award which is given to maternity units who provide routinely high levels of breastfeeding care to mothers.

The result has been a dramatic rise in breastfeeding initiation rates from 29% before being Baby Friendly Accredited in 1999 to 68% in 2009, despite working in an area with high levels of poverty – a factor that tends to lead to low breastfeeding rates.

Remarkable achievement

The businesswoman, supermodel and mother-of-two, who first visited The Royal Oldham in 2005, congratulated midwives and health workers on maintaining such high levels of breastfeeding care. She also presented North Manchester hospital – part of the same NHS Trust - with its reaccreditation certificate.

Speaking at a press conference, Macpherson said: “I think what you all have achieved here at the Pennines Acute Trust is remarkable. Breastfeeding should be such a wonderful and normal activity, yet these days it so often seems to be portrayed as difficult and painful, and only for those with super-human skills.

“Here in Oldham and Manchester you have shown that breastfeeding is for everyone. By ensuring that your staff are fully trained and that appropriate help and information is offered to every mother, thousands more babies will continue to benefit from the uniquely life-enhancing properties of breastmilk.”

Infant Feeding Coordinator for The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Val Finigan, said: “The staff here are absolutely committed to ensuring the highest standards of care around infant feeding. It is wonderful that Elle has returned to Oldham to show her support for breastfeeding and to acknowledge the dedication shown by staff which has led to us being accredited as Baby Friendly for the last 10 years.”

Continued support

Finigan added: "Following on from the Trust’s success, working in partnership with the local primary care trusts to encourage the uptake of Baby Friendly community standards has been crucial. It has helped professionals to join together and to provide more seamless care for local women, supporting them to breastfeed for longer. The future challenge is to engage our adjoining Universities and to encourage them to implement the UNICEF university standards. “This will equip future midwives and health visitors with the right skills and knowledge to support breastfeeding. By all of us working together in this way, we will ensure that the future foundations for the health and well-being of mothers and babies in our locality remain strong."

Chairman of the Pennine Acute Trust, John Jesky, said: “The Trust is immensely proud of its Baby Friendly achievements and of all the staff in the Women and Children’s division who have worked hard to improve and maintain these standards.”

Anne Strong, Baby Friendly Professional Officer, added: “The work being done by Val and her team at the Pennine Acute Trust is truly outstanding, and we are delighted that Elle has been able to help us highlight that.

“It is very significant that it is not only the maternity units which are implementing best practice, but the whole of the PCT is working towards Baby Friendly status, so that women will get the help and support they need to carry on breastfeeding once they get home.

“Breastfeeding rates in the UK dramatically decrease during the first six weeks of life, despite WHO advice that babies should be exclusively breastfed for six months. Good quality breastfeeding care in the community is essential if we are to help mothers continue, and so it is imperative that Trusts work towards implementing the Baby Friendly standards for community services.”