Scotland celebrates 100% Baby Friendly accreditation
19 June 2018
This week is Breastfeeding Awareness Week in Scotland, and we’re celebrating Scotland’s fantastic achievement of being the first country in the UK to receive 100% Baby Friendly accreditation in maternity and community services.
Today Scotland’s Minister for Public Health and Sport, Aileen Campbell, presented NHS Lothian with their Baby Friendly award, which marks Scotland’s 100% accreditation – a credit to all the hard work taking place across the country to support families.
The celebration follows the excellent results of Scotland’s Maternal and Infant Nutrition Survey earlier this year, which highlight the positive impact that Baby Friendly practices are having on breastfeeding rates. Particularly striking was the increase in the number of babies receiving breastmilk at six months, rising from 32% in 2010 to 43% in 2017. It is heartening to see that 86% of all mothers and babies in Scotland have skin-to-skin contact at birth, helping to get breastfeeding and relationship building off to a good start.
Ms Campbell said,
“I am delighted to present this highly acclaimed award, which recognises the dedication and hard work of NHS Lothian staff. It is a great accomplishment for all those involved.
“With this award confirmed, Scotland has now achieved 100% accreditation in our maternity units and community partnerships due to the dedication and professionalism of our frontline healthcare staff, who are actively supporting, promoting and protecting breastfeeding in their local areas to help all babies and new mothers who want to breastfeed to do so for as long as they wish to.
“In addition to this, I am thrilled to meet some of the young mums in the Family Nurse Partnership programme who are currently breastfeeding their babies and, in some cases, have gone on to provide support to other new mums.
“It’s so important to highlight that there is breastfeeding support available all over the country, and it is particularly fitting to hear about their experiences during Scottish Breastfeeding Awareness Week.”
Scotland's maternal and infant nutrition survey
Our Programme Director Sue Ashmore attended the awards ceremony, saying:
“We are delighted that Scotland has achieved 100% Baby Friendly accreditation in maternity and community services. This is a wonderful achievement and we commend the strategic approach that the Scottish government has taken to improving breastfeeding rates. We also congratulate Scotland on the results of the Scottish Maternal and Infant Nutrition survey, which showcase the impact that this work is having on families. A key part of our advocacy work is a call for the reinstatement of the UK Infant Feeding Survey, and we will be using the Scottish survey as an example of best practice. Thank you for all your hard work and congratulations again on your achievement.”