Breastfeeding
Conference
Tuesday 1st October 2013
Summary of the Day
Breastfeeding Conference Summary
The purpose of the conference:
•Look at what the evidence is telling us
• Share good practice
•Talk about the environment for Breastfeeding
•Talk Co-create a vision for breastfeeding in Suffolk
The Breastfeeding conference was facilitated by Dr. Amanda Jones, Lead Consultant for
Health Improvement and Heath Protection in Suffolk.
85 people attended the event
including Health Visitors,
Midwives, Peer Mentors,
Breastfeeding Team Staff,
Children’s Centre Staff,
Councillors and Local
Government and NHS
commissioners.
Lynda Bradford, Head of Health Improvement in Suffolk and Michael Hattrell, Breastfeeding
Commissioner co-facilitated and oversaw the day
There were five expert speakers in the morning who
discussed current breastfeeding practice in Suffolk across the
county:
• Linda Page, Infant feeding Coordinator, Ipswich Hospital NHS
Trust
• Tania Browes, Midwifery Manager, Ipswich Hospital NHS
Trust
• Colleen Greenwood, Infant Feeding Coordinator, West
Suffolk NHS foundation Trust
• Anita Farrant, Children and Young People Integrated Service
Manager
• Margaret Baluta, Breastfeeding Team Lead, East Coast
Community Healthcare
• Dr. Amanda Jones presented a vision for breastfeeding in
Suffolk
•Mr. Ashish Minocha, Consultant Paediatric and Neonatal
Surgeon at Jenny Lind Children’s Hospital and David Edwards,
Specialist Registrar at Public Health Suffolk discussed
Restrictive Lingual Frenulum (commonly known as tongue
tie)
•Lynda Bradford gave an overview of breastfeeding
resources available to General Practice
• Councillor Alan Murray, Suffolk County Council Cabinet
Member for Health and Social closed the conference
Breastfeeding Conference Workshop Summary:
Let’s do it! What can each of us do to improve breastfeeding in our locality?
The discussion in the morning workshop was about
what we can do to improve breastfeeding in our
localities. The session was primarily attended by
providers. Key themes came out throughout these
discussions:
Main Recurring Themes:
Strong Antenatal Message is Key
•Pre birth breastfeeding support groups needed across all
localities
•Antenatal visits to discuss breastfeeding
Joined up Working Cross Locality and Between
Partners
•Reduce conflicting advice across agencies – joint training
•Share good practice between agencies and ensure
consistent message for the whole county.
Provide Better Support for New Mothers
•Post birth breastfeeding support groups
•24 hour helpline and proactive daily support available for
all
•‘Bosom buddy’ system
Ideas to improve breastfeeding:
•Educate GP’s about what support is out there
•Use of smartphone aps, social media and online resources to
promote breastfeeding
•TV and media campaigns
•Much more partner support – breastfeeding peer support and
groups for fathers?
•Concentrate on making public environments more breastfeeding
friendly
•‘Breastfeeding welcome’ stickers
•Incentives to breastfeed – vouchers for breastfeeding bras?
Breastfeeding Conference Workshop Summary:
Let’s do it! What can each of us do to increase breastfeeding in Suffolk?
The discussion in the lunchtime workshop was about
what we can do to increase breastfeeding in Suffolk.
The session was primarily attended by commissioners
and elected members. Key themes came out
throughout these discussions:
Main Recurring Themes:
Reduced Information and Access to Formula
•Do not promote formula milk within any health
information or bounty packs
•Restrict advertising and have plain packaging on formula
including a message about the benefits of breastfeeding
Improve Environment for Breastfeeding in Public
•Educate venues to be more breastfeeding friendly and
have ‘breastfeeding friendly’ stickers
•Promote free places to breastfeed in public
•Campaign to make Suffolk ‘most breastfeeding friendly’
county
Make it Easier for Mums Returning to Work
•Incentives for businesses to provide facilities for mums to
breastfeed
•Include information about breastfeeding with maternity
literature in businesses so mums think about it early.
Ideas to increase breastfeeding:
___ ____________ __
______
•Education at school age – put breastfeeding on the national
curriculum, have a breastfeeding advisor for schools
•Work to reduce the fear of breastfeeding in public by making
breastfeeding everybody’s business
•TV and media campaigns
•Literature aimed at father’s and grandparents too as they are mums
_ support
_____
____
network
•More budget
for breastfeeding
services_____
________
_______
__ _____
•Joined
up countywide
breastfeeding
policy and training
___
_________
_____
_________
_____
•Provide__________
incentives to breastfeed
Breastfeeding Conference Workshop Summary:
Let’s do it! What can general practice do to increase breastfeeding?
The discussion in the afternoon workshop was about
what GP’s can do to increase breastfeeding in Suffolk.
The session was primarily attended by primary care
practitioners and commissioners. Key themes came out
throughout these discussions:
Main Recurring Themes:
Improved and Consistent Training for GPs
•All GPs to complete the UNICEF e-learning
•Promote available training – CCG training afternoon?
•Midwives to attend practice meetings
Breastfeeding Support to be Visible in Practices
•GP practices to be visibly breastfeeding friendly and have
‘breastfeeding friendly’ stickers
•Higher visibility of promotional ‘Give it a Go’ materials
•Available support e.g.. Peer Mentor Groups to be
advertised in GP practices
Target Communities for Visible Support
•Advertise available services around communities – take
away restaurants, beauticians, hairdressers etc.
•Market stalls in local towns
Ideas to increase breastfeeding:
___ ____________ __
______
•Commission a Health Visitor Breast Feeding Coordinator for Suffolk
•Ensure pathways are clear and consistent
•Feedback and signposting on CCG websites
•Specific webpage for professionals and the public
•Longer GP appointments
for
expectant
and new mothers and those
_
_____
____
with feeding problems to promote breastfeeding and to support
________
_______
__ _____
_____
•Increase the amount
of promotional
materials available
•Possible
target attached to_____
% of GPs _________
who have undergone
training
___ _________
_____
__________
Pledges
Those who attended the event were asked to make a
pledge around what they personally could do to
support and increase breastfeeding within their role.
We received 38 pledges in the areas of pre and post
birth, at birth and other.
Pledges Received
Other
15%
Pre Birth
28%
Pledge Examples… I pledge to…
•Develop a antenatal breastfeeding workshop for mums
and dads which runs at the weekend and evenings
•Ensure all staff are giving accurate information and
advice to ALL women.
•Make GP surgeries more breastfeeding friendly
•Get feeding bottles removed from AGES + STAGES
developmental bags used by Health Visitors from
November 2013
•Support all mums to enjoy breastfeeding
•Inspire and educate midwives and those involved with
breastfeeding
•Investigate provisions of work place support for
breastfeeding- UCS, Police, Council premises.
•Build better relationships with GPs so they are aware of
local breastfeeding champions
Post Birth
39%
Birth
18%
Evaluation and Next Steps
•95% of attendees who completed the evaluation form strongly agreed or agreed that the programme of the event
was well structured.
•100% strongly agreed or agreed that the presenters had communicated effectively and they now fully understood the
breastfeeding support available to them
• 97% rated the event overall as either Excellent or Good and nobody rated the event poor or very poor.
•Over 95% rated the morning, lunchtime and afternoon sessions individually as excellent or good and nobody rated any of the
sessions individually as poor or very poor.
‘Is there anything you will put into practice following today’s event?’
•I will appreciate that there is more support available and use it
•I will become more involved in restricted lingual frenulum in WSH policy
•I’m motivated to keep pressing on with staff training
•I plan to examine breastfeeding messages around town and make it like Bristol
•Reconsider how I promote breastfeeding to better effect and outcome
•I have learnt lots and am motivated to put this to good practice
Any further comments?
•Feedback received suggests the majority
of attendees found the event informative
and beneficial especially for networking
and discussing breastfeeding practice with
colleagues from different areas and
backgrounds.
•Those who completed the evaluation
requested to see feedback from the event
and follow up on practices put into place
as a result.
•More GP and midwife representation
requested at the follow up event.
Next Steps
Attendees were asked if they would be interested in attending a
follow up event and how soon they would like it. All but one
attendee said they were interested and the majority (61%)
thought 9 months time was the best time to hold the event.
We will be holding a follow up half day event in July to review
each partner service developments towards supporting more
mothers to breastfeed and update on Suffolk’s overall progress.
Please look out for an invitation nearer the time.