Medicash has announced Alder Hey Children’s Hospital as the next partner in its £2.1 million initiative to strengthen NHS hospitals and services across the North West. This grant, provided by the Medicash Foundation, will fund a vital nursing role focused on infant feeding for the next four years, as part of the company’s ambitious project to support healthcare facilities in the region.
The newly funded role will play a key part in the Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI), an international programme developed in partnership with UNICEF and the World Health Organisation. The BFI aims to support families in feeding their infants while fostering close, loving relationships. The programme provides guidance and standards to maximise breastfeeding opportunities and promote continuous improvement in care delivery.
Initially designed to support families and newborns in their early days, particularly in neonatal care, the BFI standards are now being adapted by Alder Hey and other national experts to cater to older babies and children in paediatric services. This new nursing position will allow Alder Hey to lead the implementation of this next phase, piloting the extended standards and delivering enhanced feeding support to families.
Nathan Askew, Chief Nurse at Alder Hey, highlighted the importance of this initiative: “All children deserve the best start in life, and we know from research the vital role that breastfeeding can play in this. Breast milk not only contains essential nutrition for infants but also benefits the immune system and strengthens parental bonding.”
Despite an increase in breastfeeding rates across the UK, figures remain below those of many European countries, with Liverpool falling beneath the national average. Alder Hey hopes to make a meaningful impact through its involvement in the Baby Friendly Initiative, particularly in children’s hospital settings.
Askew continued: “This initiative has already profoundly affected maternity and neonatal units, and we look forward to working with local families to positively influence breastfeeding practices in the future. By providing specialist support to families during their time with us, we ensure that these babies will receive the best possible start in life.”
Sue Weir, Chief Executive of Medicash and Trustee of the Medicash Foundation, expressed her enthusiasm for the project: “We are excited to be involved in such an important project, that will have a real and positive impact on the lives of future generations in Liverpool and beyond. This builds on our recent partnership with the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and we look forward to working with more hospitals across the North West over the coming years. I’m delighted that as a business we are able to fund such important projects and witness the incredible impact they have within both their local communities and further afield.”
