NHFT’s Infant Feeding Team Achieves UNICEF Gold Baby Friendly Accreditation
Photos from the team's celebration in May 2025
This World Breastfeeding Week, NHFT is proud to celebrate our Infant Feeding Team, who in January 2025 achieved Gold Baby Friendly accreditation from UNICEF UK , a significant recognition of the team's commitment to supporting infant feeding and nurturing parent-infant relationships. The Baby Friendly Initiative is rooted in a set of evidence-based standards designed to ensure that maternity, neonatal, health visiting, and children's services provide the best possible care for babies and their families.
These standards focus on helping parents build close, loving relationships with their babies and support best feeding practices for long-term health and development.
Achieving Gold means NHFT's Infant Feeding Team has not only met these standards but has sustainably embedded them into everyday practice.
"Being awarded Gold Baby Friendly accreditation is a proud moment for our service", said Katy Coles, Infant Feeding Strategy Lead. "It recognises the consistent, compassionate care we provide to families and reflects our commitment to embedding these standards into everything we do. We're dedicated to maintaining this level of excellence and continuing to support parents and babies in the best possible way."
Emma Goulding, Infant Feeding Clinical Team Lead reflected "Achieving Gold Baby Friendly accreditation was a real team effort, involving every member of our health visiting service. We're incredibly grateful to the mothers who took the time to share their experiences with the Baby Friendly assessors - their feedback played a vital role in helping us reach this milestone."
The Gold accreditation places NHFT among a select group of services nationally that are leading the way in family-centred, public health-focused care.
Learn more about the Baby Friendly Initiative: Accreditation - Baby Friendly Initiative
Read more about our Infant Feeding Team, including how they might be able to support you on your breastfeeding journey.