The Neonatal Unit at Royal Bolton Hospital has received full accreditation for a prestigious award that recognises the support staff provide to families.

Bolton’s NNU has been awarded green FiCare (Family Integrated Care) status, the highest standard available. The award reviews staff education and support, parent education, NICU environment, and psychological support within the service.

FiCare is a model that supports and educates parents and carers to become an integral part of their baby’s care in partnership with the neonatal team, from the moment a baby is admitted to the neonatal unit.

The model has a number of benefits for the family, including:

• Reducing parental anxiety and stress
• Improved breast feeding rates
• Improved infant weight gain

Kathy Moses, Neonatal Nurse and FiCare Coordinator at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said:

I’m incredibly proud of the team who have spent the past twelve months working to make sure we’re delivering our highest standards of care and support to our families.

“Every member of staff has embraced FiCare and made sure families are fully involved in the care of their newborn.

“It’s an honour to receive the highest level of accreditation, but we’re always looking for ways to make the experience even better for our babies and families by listening to feedback from parents to introduce further improvements in the future.

A huge congratulations to the neonatal unit @boltonnhsft a well deserved Green #FiCare accreditation 💚 pic.twitter.com/MJcqgRiPcO

— NW Neonatal ODN (@NWNeonatalODN) July 11, 2023

FiCare has also been found to deliver a number of benefits to local health systems by reducing the lengths of stay in hospital and reducing readmission rates as a result of parents having a better understanding of their baby’s health needs.

The full report by the North West Neonatal Operational Delivery Network is expected in the coming weeks.