Press release from NHS Stoke on Trent and NHS North Staffordshire announcing a campaign that will give all local pharmacies materials to help pharmacists continue to support breastfeeding mothers during the month of August and beyond.

Summary of the key lessons learned, the positive benefits for community pharmacies and current work in progress to further improve uptake.

Healthy Start is a statutory scheme providing a nutritional safety net and encouragement for breastfeeding and healthy eating for over half a million pregnant women and children under 4 in low income and disadvantaged families across the UK. [Read the full report]

The first Buddy training was delivered in April 2009, 72 mothers have now been trained as breastfeeding peer supporters across Dudley, as well as 16 key workers within Children’s Centres to support and link Buddies to families.
The Buddy training manual has been re developed in collaboration with NHS Walsall Community Health and Dudley PCT in line with UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative curriculum requirements.
The buddy training manual has been edited substantially by Dudley as a member of the WM IFC Network. The accompanying tutors guide has been re-edited largely by Walsall Community Health. The two resources reprinted in September 2010 are now utilised as the WM Breastfeeding Peer Support Handbook and Tutor’s Guide and shared in the West Midlands as a best practice tool for localities who wish to deliver similar training.
The course is delivered over 9 weeks, a total of 18 hours, in a participatory approach, with group discussion, interactive activities, exploring personal experiences and ideas, using DVDs and completing a practical skills exercise.

To provide and display images that presented breastfeeding as the normal way to feed a baby, as a normal every day activity that is part of life.

To implement a facility where the degree of tongue tie and feeding ability could be assessed and if required a frenulotomy performed on the baby quickly and efficiently.

I completed the first 2 day management course on 13th and 14October to 10 candidates, (2 HVs, 1 NNEB and 7 Family support Workers). The course evaluated well. The course was interactive and included practical skills, DVD’s, participation by candidates.

Healthy Start is a UK-wide government scheme to improve the health of pregnant women and families on benefits or low incomes. Healthy Start is an important scheme that can make a real difference to the health of pregnant women, new mothers and very young children in low-income and disadvantaged families. As well as providing vouchers towards the cost of basic foods, the scheme offers specially designed vitamin supplements free of charge. The Healthy Start vitamins meet recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) with regard to supplementation.