Elle’s praise for baby feeding dream team

Photo: ANTHONY MILLER

TEAM effort . . . from left, UNICEF officer Anne Strong, Elle Macpherson, infant feeding co-ordinator Val Finigan, Pennine Acute Trust director of nursing Marian Carroll and Trust chairman John Jesky celebrate 10 years of baby-friendly breastfeeding success.

SUPERMODEL turned supermum Elle Macpherson was back in Oldham to praise hospital chiefs.

Now a UNICEF UK ambassador, the stunning six-foot tall Australian beauty swapped the catwalk for maternity wards as she met with staff and new mums at the Royal Oldham Hospital yesterday to celebrate 10 years of being Baby Friendly.

Royal Oldham was one of the first hospitals in the UK to gain UNICEF Baby Friendly Accreditation — a globally recognised award given to maternity units who provide routinely high levels of breastfeeding care to mothers.

It has resulted in breastfeeding initiation rates soaring from 23 per cent in 1999 to 67 per cent in 2009 — despite working in an area with high levels of poverty, which tends to lead to low breastfeeding rates.

Mother-of-two Elle, who was dubbed “The Body” during her modelling career, first visited the Royal Oldham in 2005 to present the Baby Friendly Award.

She returned to congratulate staff on the success and said the improvements she had seen were remarkable and it was wonderful to see the important work staff were doing.

“The increase is extraordinary in this environment,” she said. “It’s a challenging environment to change people’s perspectives and lack of belief in breastfeeding. I saw happy mothers and babies and that’s a true testimony that this initiative works.

“By ensuring staff are fully trained and that appropriate help and information is offered to every mother, thousands more babies will continue to benefit from the uniquely life-enhancing properties of breastmilk.”

John Jesky, chairman of Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said the Trust was immensely proud of the achievement and staff who had worked so hard.

Anne Strong, UNICEF Baby Friendly professional officer, said the work being done was truly outstanding and she hoped to encourage NHS Trusts across the country to follow Oldham’s example.

The hospital’s infant feeding co-ordinator, Val Finigan, said: “It is wonderful that Elle has returned to Oldham to show her support for breastfeeding and to acknowledge the dedication shown by staff, which has led us to being accredited as Baby Friendly for the last 10 years.”

Elle also presented North Manchester General with a reaccreditation certificate.


Mums-to-be hotline

MUMS-TO-BE in Oldham can now access midwifery services through a specially created hotline.

Direct to a Midwife has been launched by Greater Manchester NHS in a bid to let mums-to-be know about their choices and to get their pregnancy care started sooner. By calling 0800 121 4400, women will be put through to their local midwifery service. It is believed that direct contact with midwives can result in earlier access to health information and screening.