North West Infant Feeding Network Meeting Notes
Friday 23 December 2013 at 12.30 – 16.30hrs
County Hall, Preston
Present:
Sue Henry (Chair)
SH
Sue Ashmore
SA
Monica Clarkson
MC
Infant Feeding Coordinator - East Lancashire Hospitals Trust / Blackburn with
Darwen community
UNICEF BFI Programme Director
Sue Saunders
SS
Infant Feeding Coordinator-Sefton community organisations / Liverpool Community
Health
Infant Feeding Coordinator - Liverpool Womens
Nicola Wicherley
NW
Infant Feeding Coordinator – East Cheshire Community
Shel Banks
SB
Baby Friendly Coordinator –Blackpool Hospital
Dawn Burrows
DB
Parentcraft & Infant Feeding Coordinator – Blackpool Hospital
Janet Edwards
JE
Mary Whitmore
MW
Infant Feeding and Public Health Specialist Midwife – Lancashire Teaching Hospitals
(Preston)
Infant Feeding Coordinator – North Lancs and Blackpool community
Magda Sachs
MS
Public health development managers – Salford community
Sarah McKie
SmK
Infant Feeding Coordinator – Stockport Foundation Trust
Kath Eaton
KE
Infant Feeding Coordinator, Newborn Intensive Care – St Marys Hospital
Chris Jordan
CJ
Specialist Health Visitor, Infant Feeding – Bolton community
Fiona Munro-Muotune
FM
Infant Feeding Coordinator – Tameside and Glossop community
Sara Blakeway
SaB
Infant Feeding Coordinator – Bolton hospital
Kathryn Henshall
KH
Infant Feeding Coordinator – maternity – Central Manchester foundation Trust
Natalie Jones
NJ
Infant Feeding Coordinator, Maternity – central Manchester Foundation Trust
Kathryn Ashton
KA
Infant Feeding Lead (maternity services) – Royal Albert Edward Informary
Sharon Brown
ShB
Infant Feeding Lead (HV services) - Bridgewater(Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Division)
Alison Healey
AH
Breastfeeding strategic lead – Wigan Council
Val Rimmer
VR
Infant Feeding Coordinator – Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale community
Jackie Hall
JH
Infant Feeding Coordinator – Trafford Children and Young People service
Pauline Mulhall
PM
Baby Friendly Project Manager – Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust
Laura Widdall
LW
?
Anna Byrom
AB
University of Central Lancashire
Carole McGlone
Fiona Lee
CmG
FL
Central Manchester University
Chester University
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Apologies: Julia Kemp, Sarah McCormack, Janet Beech, Clare Whitehead, Daria McPhee, Fiona Fenna, Donna
Butler, Maria Brooking, Katie Wharton, Val Finigan, Tara Kennedy, Joanne Mayall, Justine Baines, Alison Holt, Dawn
Eccleston, Cathy McEvilly
NOTES:
(Notes taken during meeting by Kathy Henshall–thank you)
WELCOME:
SH welcomed all members and our guest Sue Ashmore
Hot drinks available
SUE ASHMORE: BFI UPDATE:
 Update re UK facilities stage 1 or above – 88% maternity services / 82% community / 51% university – these are
the % of UK facilities that have some kind of BFI award.
 Discussion re revised standards / document – good all round endorsements and incorporated in NICE postnatal
guidance
 New resources available (see BFI website - http://www.unicef.org.uk/BabyFriendly/Health-Professionals/NewBaby-Friendly-Standards/ :
o Workbook
o Courses – including new course for infant feeding leads
o Train the trainer pack – SA confirmed that those who have done the train the trainer course are eligible
to purchase this resource.
o Audit tools (now NICU one available) – await CC tool
o Transition guidance – everyone needs to understand what this means for them
o Paediatric on line training – info on BFI website re license costs – takes 30 minutes to complete a
training session
o Assessment of breast milk expression
o Conversation’s guidance
o Updated infant feeding policies – maternity / neonatal / health visiting (CCs to follow)
o The evidence document – large but very easy to read – a must for everyone!
 Pending resources (2014):
o Assessment guidance
o Conversations guidance
o CC resources – i.e. audit tool / policy (PM volunteered to pilot the community audit tool)
o Material for parents – ideas to SA please
o Revised university standards – you can comment on the learning outcomes now - Both the standards
and the survey can be accessed here - planned launch in the Spring
o Under consideration - ? course for paediatric nurses
o MS suggested more trimmed back guidance for commissioners
 Transition:
o From now until June 2014 – assessments will be done using the current tool
o June 14 – June 15 – new tool will be used at assessments – facilities won’t be expected to pass all the
new standards but assessors will suggest to facilities how to progress to new
o June 15 – June 16 – facilities will be expected to be progressing with new standards – though would not
fail if not at ‘80%’ yet – guidance will be given
o June 2016 onwards – full new standards will be expected to be implemented at all service assessments
 Awards will be graded: excellent / good / promising / requires improvement . . . advanced . . . beacon.
o More on ‘advanced’ at next years conference
 There are now 4 services to assess
o Continued collaboration between maternity and neonatal will be expected – same in community
o NICU and children’s centres will have to achieve a stage 1 – and could go stand alone in BFI if chosen.
o SA reminded us re the importance of collaborative working i.e. it would not be possible for a maternity
unit to ‘go it alone’ without some basic input from a NICU.
o It’s possible that the extra requirements for the CCs (and NICU) assessment will take longer than 12
months to put into place. So the plan could be to work on the Stage 1 submission and then decide at
what point “catching up” would occur- possibly waiting until re-assessment when the CCs could have
Stage 2 and 3 assessed
o SA also reminded us of the need of more education for existing and new staff around the new standards
– this will be essential.
o SA suggested a baseline audit is helpful
o BFI staff are happy to talk through your plans
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SUE ASHMORE / SUE HENRY: NETWORK UPDATE:
NETWORK UPDATE:
SA shared some current information: :
 9 regional leads appointed (Spring 2013)
 Data base created of all members (about 600)
 National leads have had 2 meetings to date
 ToR for leads and also network members agreed
 BFI website space hosting meeting details and ToR
 Grant for another year has been agreed with DH (30k across the 9 regions) – most goes on travel / expenses
and time of the leads to attend / chair meetings)
 Some funding to be used to ‘brand’ the networks
 Ideas from members re funding use welcomed i.e. to pay guest speakers
GROUP GROUND RULES:
SH made available the NW meeting ‘ground rules’ as agreed at the last meeting
NW PHILOSOPHY:
SH finalised this following feedback and contributions from members – final copy available at meeting
GROUP MEMBERSHIP:
SH highlighted that this group is designed for ‘infant feeding coordinators’ / ‘BFI project managers’ – that would
include CC / NICU coordinators. Any new member contact details to SH please.
CELEBRATIONS:
SH shared details of recent NW BFI awards and presented each with a congratulations card for the network:
 Pennine Care Foundation Trust – Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Community services and the Boroughs
Childrens Centres – achieved full accreditation in October
 Trafford Children and Young People Service - achieved stage 2 accreditation in November
 Leighton Hospital – achieved stage 2 accreditation in September
 Ormskirk and District General Hospital – achieved Certificate of Commitment in October
 BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL – YOUR HARD WORK PAID OFF – FANTASTIC!
(SA left meeting)
GROUP WORK:
SH asked for small groups to consider together the future of the NW network meetings – venues / length of meeting /
guest speakers / ? action learning sets / group design etc. Group ideas included:
 4 meetings per year
 BFI accreditation action learning sets based on stages but also based on areas of practice
 Buddy system between sites at various stages etc.
 Audit feedbacks, focusing on new audits – sharing results and action plans to share ideas
 Conferences, local study days and research event sharing
 Organising local conferences or feedback events to share ideas more widely with our teams
 External speakers - great idea x 3:
o Transformational leadership x2 (including fellowship)
o Motivational interviews / approaches
o Focus on new areas of new standards e.g. relationship formation, attachment theories, oxytocin
physiology etc., communication tools (conversations guidance) and workshop ideas
o Share Lancashire strategic statement of intent
 To encourage UNICEF BFI head office team visits at least once a year – really valued seeing Sue A today.
 Monthly updates to group
 Monthly celebrations of any achievements / sharing good practise and learning from each other
 Focus to be wider than BFI
 Group work – but maybe not groups I same BFI stages – but rather a mix / and a mix from different services x 2
 Stakeholders meeting i.e. CC leaders rather than IFCs
 Full day for meeting – 10-4 – easier to negotiate time – speaker in morning and meeting in afternoon
 Share experiences re pitching to commissioners, finance managers etc.
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LENGTH OF MEETING:
SH asked for a show of hands re longer meetings form July 2014 – i.e. 10 – 4 (speaker in morning – networking at
lunch and meeting in afternoon – majority of group agreed as they could choose to attend am or pm or both.
NETWORKING TIME:
Some time spent networking half way through meeting with hot drinks available as suggested at the last meeting.
SAFER SLEEPING PRESENTATIONS:
 Mary Whitmore presented her local work. Aim to empower staff to discuss bed-sharing with parents. Included a
self screening tool – funding gained to work with Helen Ball. Tool given late pregnancy ‘give me room to breathe’
– women to think about their choices. Leaflet shown to group. There was poor awareness of lone sleeping / not
breastfeeding when auditing women. Mary gave permission to share her slides with the group.

Also embedded – Pan Lancashire Safer Sleeping guidelines

Group also commended Mary on her BFI Conference presentation – well done Mary!

Magda Sachs also shared Salford / GM work re safer sleeping:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Commented on PN NICE quality standards re discussing safer sleeping with every contact with parents
MS discussed safer sleeping campaign for Salford / Wigan / Bolton – increased child deaths in those
areas
Shared ‘fear based’ campaign
Shared subsequent positive messages – seasonal – Winter / Summer
Messages to be taken on board by multi-agencies
Resources available for interaction with parents – shared with group
Please link for all resources shared at the meeting http://www.partnersinsalford.org/sscb/safesleeping.htm
SH - Thank you to both Mary and Magda for sharing on this very important topic
NATIONAL PARENTS GUIDE:
 NW network did collaborate on a critical response to the first version which was forward by SH to the Guides
‘management’ and DH. Thanks to MS for helping to coordinate group responses
 The 2nd version arrived and was shared across the network – member still have significant concerns especially
around the transparency of any development coordination / consultation / responsibility around this resource /
sponsorship.
 A NW email conversation followed
 SH has wrote to DH for suggestions – they have replied and are looking into this
 Group agreed that we are not moving forward by continuously critiquing booklets like this – the source of the
issue needs to be addressed
 MS will be writing to her MP re ‘birth to five’ – not been revised for several years
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AOB / SHARING:
 DISCUSSION RE BOUNTY PROVISION IN UNITS – group requested a NW ‘state of play’ –please forward
your current status with bounty to SH including what bounty services you use – AN / PN / photography and
length of your contract outstanding.
 EMAILS: between group members discussed – and email subject boxes:
o Suggested tagging emails – perhaps heading each subject heading with a note on action required or
content included in email e.g. HELP PLEASE: / FEEDBACK / RESPONSE REQUIRED /
INFORMATION TO SHARE
 BREASTFEEDING FESTIVAL: was in Ulverston – now moving to Manchester – 1st weekend in August (World
breastfeeding week) – if anyone wants to get involved and help please contact Shel Banks
 MAINN CONFERENCE: AB highlighted this conference to the group and has circulated an email ‘call for papers’
– this conference will be in Sydney
 NICU / BREAST PUMPS – SB asked group re provision of pumps from when transferred form NICUs – those
who responded confirmed that the pump stays with the unit and the new unit then provides – or perhaps a
community service. CE explained re St Marys as a regional unit – there is some flexibility – and a £20 deposit is
asked for all pumps to ensure return.
FUTURE MEETINGS (2014):
MARCH 18th MEETING:
 There will be a combined presentation on tongue tie – group gave SmK suggestions to include – SmK will liaise
with relevant partners – many thanks
 VF will also be presenting re ‘breast inflammation’
 There may be a venue change – notice to follow – CmG looking at Manchester uni as an option Tuesday 18th March 2014, 12.30-4.30pm
JULY 3RD: - please forward details if you can provide a large free venue with tea / coffee provision
- SH will arrange for a guest speaker at this meeting
NOVEMBER 14th - please forward details if you can provide a large free venue with tea / coffee provision
- SH will ask a BFI rep to attend this meeting
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