Care levels on the Special Care Baby Unit at Hinchingbrooke Hospital have been recognised by a bronze accreditation from the Bliss Baby Charter.

The unit, which looks after babies which need extra support after birth, achieved the award after receiving funding from the Local Maternity and Neonatal System Operational Delivery group.

Amanda Blake, SCBU ward manager, said: “I am proud to be part of a team that is so committed to continuing to improve the care that they provide to our babies and their families. We are now looking forward to working towards our silver accreditation.”

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Peterborough City Hospital, where some local babies go for treatment, also qualified for the same accreditation.

The Bliss Baby Charter provides neonatal units with a practical framework to assess themselves against as a measure of quality of service and consists of an online audit tool with has several stages leading to gold accreditation.

Both units had already undertaken two audits to find their level and compose an action plan to help them make changes and improve the quality of the service they offer.

Both units have dedicated ‘Bliss’ teams which have led on the project to support the units though the accreditation process.

Receiving the Bliss Baby Charter bronze award, recognises the changes that have been made on the units to improve the delivery of excellent family-centred care and he next step for both units is to work towards silver accreditation.