Midwifery students praised by UNICEF

UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative

UNICEF’s Baby Friendly Initiative has commended the breast feeding knowledge and skills of Salford’s midwifery students – scoring them the highest of any university in the UK.

The Baby Friendly Initiative was established by UNICEF and the World Health Organization to improve the care provided to all mothers and babies. For the last two years the University has been working towards accreditation by equipping students with the knowledge and skills to support breast feeding mothers.

A random sample of 23 students achieved between 95% and 100% during the UNICEF assessment last week (11 October). The students’ high levels of knowledge, communication skills and practical expertise in enabling mothers to breastfeed were also noted during the University’s successful bid for accreditation.

Anne Leyland, Lecturer in Midwifery, said: “The training is important because we need to help women breast feed for longer and have healthier babies. Many women give up because of difficulties that could have been prevented by skilled help.

“By educating our students to a high standard in infant feeding, we will enable women to breastfeed for longer and make an important contribution to maternal and infant health for the future. 

“I’m delighted that we have achieved Baby Friendly Initiative accreditation and that our students have achieved such excellent standards.”

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