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Infant feeding policy (Doncaster community)

Contents

  1. Policy summary
  2. Introduction
  3. Purpose
  4. Scope
  5. Procedure or implementation
  6. Training implications
  7. Equality impact assessment screening
  8. Links to any other associated documents
  9. References
  10. Appendices

To access the breastfeeding support group standard operating procedure associated with this policy please follow the link: Breastfeeding support group SOP.

1 Introduction

This policy outlines the way that staff in the RDaSH trust support families with their infant feeding choices. To provide evidence-based information, from antenatally to introducing solid foods and beyond. The trust is accredited to Unicef baby friendly initiative (BFI) standards at level 3 and staff are trained to work to these standards. This accreditation is reviewed on an annual basis and reassessed every three years by Unicef BFI.

2 Introduction

All mothers have the right to receive clear and impartial information to enable them to make fully informed choices as to how they feed and care for their babies.

Rotherham Doncaster and  South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) acknowledges that breastfeeding is the healthiest way for women to feed their babies, recognising that important health, social and psychological benefits exist for both mother and baby (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) 2018).

In accordance with the recommendations specified by the Department of Health (DH), this organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life, with breastfeeding continuing beyond the first six months along with appropriate types and amounts of solid foods (DH 2003).

The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2021) has identified, and recommends, the implementation of the baby friendly initiative (BFI) programme by health facilities as it provides an evidence-based framework that supports best practice in regard to promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding.

RDaSH has agreed to adopt the BFI framework within the children, young people and families (CYP and F) service provision and to pursue accreditation within Doncaster’s community.

3 Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all staff at RDaSH understand their role and responsibilities in supporting expectant and new mothers and their partners to feed and care for their baby in ways which support optimum health and wellbeing.

In line with United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) baby friendly standards all mothers have the right to receive clear and impartial information to enable them to make a fully informed choice as to how they feed and care for their babies. Staff will not discriminate against any women in their chosen method of infant feeding and will fully support her when she has made that choice (Unicef 2005). Staff are expected to comply with the policy and to be committed to providing the highest standard of care to support expectant and new mothers and their partners to feed their baby and build strong and loving parent-infant relationship. This is in recognition of the profound importance of early relationships to future health and wellbeing and the significant contribution that breastfeeding makes to good physical and emotional health outcomes for children and mothers. It will ensure that all care is mother and family centred, non-judgemental and that mothers’ choices are supported and respected.

It will enable working together across disciplines and organisations to improve mothers’ or parents’ experiences of care. To participate in collaborative meetings with public health, family hubs and maternity services, linking and supporting community general practitioners (GP’s) as required. This policy aims to ensure that the care provided improves outcomes for children and families, specifically to deliver:

  • increases in breastfeeding rates at 6 to 8 weeks
  • amongst parents who chose to formula feed, increases in those doing so as safely as possible in line with nationally agreed guidance
  • increases in the proportion of parents who introduce solid food to their baby in line with nationally agreed guidance
  • improvements in parents’ experiences of care services which promote responsive parent or child relationships
  • all mothers understand the significance of developing close and loving relationships regardless of feeding choices.

Parents’ experiences of care will be listened to through: regular audit, parents’ experience surveys, your opinion count forms, Doncaster Health Visitor social media pages.

4 Scope

  • This policy is to be used by those members of staff that are employed within the children’s care group to deliver care within RDaSH and for volunteer peer support workers whom RDaSH has legal responsibility.
  • This policy is also intended to be used by RDaSH employees who work with adults who have children and breastfeed, to enable continuation of breastfeeding whilst using other services, for example, improving access to psychological services (IAPT) or access service.

For further information about responsibilities, accountabilities and duties of all employees, please see appendix A.

5 Procedure or implementation

5.1 Quick guide

5.1.1 Infant feeding

  • To ensure that all staff at RDaSH understand their role and responsibilities in supporting expectant and new mothers and their partners to feed and care for their baby in ways which support optimum health and wellbeing.
  • All pregnant women will be offered the opportunity to discuss feeding and caring for their baby with a member of the health visiting team on a one-to-one basis.
  • All parents will be supported to understand a baby’s needs (including encouraging frequent skin-to-skin and sensitive verbal or visual communication, keeping babies close, responsive feeding)

5.1.2 Baby friendly initiative (BFI)

  • The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2021) has identified, and recommends, the implementation of the baby friendly initiative (BFI) programme by health facilities as it provides an evidence-based framework that supports best practice in regard to promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding.
  • RDaSH staff will adhere to the International Code of Marketing of breast milk substitutes (the code), which is an international health policy framework to regulate the marketing of breast milk substitutes (formula) in order to protect breastfeeding.

5.1.3 Breastfeeding

  • The value of breastfeeding as protection, comfort and food.
  • Getting breastfeeding off to a good start, support is available at all stages of their breastfeeding journey.
  • Breastfeeding is also discussed in the antenatal education sessions.
  • A formal breastfeeding assessment using the Unicef health visiting breastfeeding assessment tool is undertaken. It will be carried out at the new birth visit, usually between 10 and 14 days to ensure that effective feeding and the wellbeing of the mother and baby. This assessment tool is then repeated at the 6 to 8 weeks assessment, again to ensure effective feeding and the wellbeing of both mother and baby.

5.1.4 Other methods of feeding

  • At the birth visit mothers who formula feed will have a discussion about how feeding is going.
  • Individualised support and information but may need revisiting or reinforcing being sensitive to a mother’s previous experience.
  • Mothers who are formula feeding have the information they need to enable them to do so as safely as possible. Staff may need to offer a demonstration and, or discussion about how to prepare infant formula in postnatal period.
  • Discussion that first stage milk formulas should be used up to the age of 12 months.
  • All parents will have a brief discussion at the 6 to 8 week contact about when and how to introduce solid food.

5.1.5 Training

  • Training is a requirement from the BFI standards and RDaSH.
  • Relevant staff must undertake the training relevant to their role.
  • The training is lead by RDaSH infant feeding co-ordinator.

5.2 Informing pregnant women of the benefits and management of breastfeeding

All pregnant women will be offered the opportunity to discuss feeding and caring for their baby with a member of the health visiting team on a one-to-one basis. This discussion will include the following topics:

  • The value of connecting with their growing baby in utero.
  • The value of skin contact for all mothers and babies.
  • The importance of responding to their baby’s needs for comfort closeness and feeding after birth, and the role that keeping their baby close has in supporting this.
  • Brain development (as this also now get discussed in the antenatal period and the importance of stimulation).
  • Feeding, including:
    • an exploration of what parents already know about breastfeeding
    • the value of breastfeeding as protection, comfort and food
    • getting breastfeeding off to a good start
    • breastfeeding is also discussed in the antenatal education sessions face to face and virtual, however, staff should not be solely reliant on this way of relaying information. All pregnant women should be given the opportunity to discuss infant feeding on a one-to-one basis

5.2.1 BFI standards, please note

Staff should avoid demonstrating the making up of a bottle or formula feed in an antenatal group setting.

Staff will inform mothers about or refer mothers to, targeted interventions to promote breastfeeding, as follows:

  • all pregnant women are to be invited to any of Doncaster’s local breast start breastfeeding groups and provided with information about the breast pump loan scheme and the breastfeeding peer supporter availability in Doncaster (note, during the COVID-19 pandemic some of these were suspended). The equipment is cleaned in line with trust infection prevention and control manual

5.3 Support for continued breastfeeding

A formal breastfeeding assessment using the Unicef Health visiting breastfeeding assessment tool see appendix A. This is in the parent held child record (PHCR). It will be carried out at the new birth visit, usually between 10 and 14 days to ensure that effective feeding and the wellbeing of the mother and baby. This assessment tool is then repeated at the 6 to 8 weeks assessment, again to ensure effective feeding and the wellbeing of both mother and baby.

This includes recognition of what is going well and the development with the mother, of an appropriate plan of care to address any issues identified.

As part of the initial breastfeeding assessment staff will ensure that breastfeeding mothers know:

  • why effective feeding is important and that they are confident with positioning and attaching their babies for breastfeeding. They should be able to explain the relevant techniques to a mother and provide the support necessary for her to acquire the skills for herself
  • the signs which indicate that their baby is receiving sufficient milk and what to do if they suspect this is not the case
  • how to recognise signs that breastfeeding is not progressing normally (for example, sore nipples, breast inflammation)

For those mothers who require additional support for more complex breastfeeding challenges a referral to the health visiting specialist breastfeeding team may be required.

Mothers will have the opportunity for a discussion about their options for continued breastfeeding (including responsive feeding, expression of breast milk and feeding when out and about or going back to work), according to individual need.

Mothers will be encouraged to continue to keep their babies near them so that they can learn to interpret and be responsive to their baby’s needs.

Skin to skin contact should be performed at any stage within the community setting to support breastfeeding, comfort unsettled babies and resolve difficulties with attachment and breast refusal.

Responsive feeding should be explained to mothers and encouraged for all healthy babies. Staff will ensure that mothers understand the nature of feeding cues and the importance of responding to them and that they have an awareness of normal feeding patterns, including cluster feeding and ‘growth spurts’.

The importance of night feeding for milk production should be explained to all mothers. Ways to cope with the challenges of night-time feeding will be discussed, including issues related to bed sharing to enable them to manage night-time feeds safely. See Unicef website caring for your baby at night (opens in new window) for more information.

5.3.1 Artificial teats, dummies, and nipple shields

Staff will not recommend the use of artificial teats or dummies during the establishment of breastfeeding. Parents wishing to use them should be advised of the possible detrimental effects such use may have on breastfeeding to enable them to make fully informed choices about their use.

The appropriate use of dummies for breastfed babies later in the postnatal period should be discussed with mothers, together with the possible detrimental effects they may have on breastfeeding (in relation to responsive feeding), to enable them to make fully informed choices about their use. Nipple shields are only to be recommended in exceptional circumstances, for example, to support a mother who may otherwise discontinue breastfeeding sooner than she wanted.

Any mother considering use of a nipple shield needs be informed of the impact they may have on breastfeeding, for example, reduced milk supply, because the breast is not stimulated directly, and difficulties with attachment at the breast on removal of the shield. Where a mother chooses to use a shield, the rationale and supporting management plan must be recorded in the clinical records.

This intervention should be regarded as a short-term measure and use of a nipple shield should be discontinued at the earliest opportunity.

Staff should ensure that mothers are offered the support necessary to learn how to express their breast milk by hand. They should ensure that the mother is aware of the value of hand expression, for example in the proactive treatment of a blocked duct to prevent the development of mastitis. This Unicef website hand expression video (opens in new window) can be shared with mothers.

When exclusive breastfeeding is not possible, the value of continuing partial breastfeeding will be emphasised, and mothers will be supported to maximise the amount of breast milk their baby receives.

5.3.2 Tongue tie

For babies with possible tongue tie support can be obtained from the health visiting team. A referral may be required to Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Support through this pathway will be offered by the health visiting team. Contact the ‘single point of contact’ SPOC on 03000 218997.

5.4 Supporting exclusive breastfeeding

  • Mothers who breastfeed will be provided with information about why exclusive breastfeeding leads to the best outcomes for their baby, and why it is particularly important during the establishment of breastfeeding.
  • When exclusive breastfeeding is not possible, the value of continuing partial breastfeeding will be emphasised, and mothers will be supported to maximise the amount of breast milk their baby receives.
  • Mothers who give other feeds in conjunction with breastfeeding will be enabled to do so as safely as possible and with the least possible disruption to breastfeeding. This will include appropriate information and a discussion regarding the potential impact of the use of a teat when a baby is learning to breastfeed.

5.5 Modified feeding regime including faltering growth

There are a small number of clinical indications for a modified approach to responsive feeding in the short term. Examples include preterm or small for gestational age babies, babies who have not regained their birth weight, babies who are gaining weight slowly. Any supplements which are prescribed or recommended should be recorded in the baby’s clinical records along with the reason for supplementation.

There is NICE guidance NG75 (2017) Faltering growth, recognition and management of faltering growth in children (opens in new window).

Parents who elect to supplement their baby’s breastfeeds should be made aware of the possible health implications and the adverse impact such action may have on breastfeeding (for example, the potential reduction of breast milk, nipple or teat confusion) This is to enable them to make an informed choice. Prior to introducing formula milk, every effort should be made to encourage a mother to express.

All mothers will be encouraged to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months and to continue breastfeeding for at least the first year of life. They should be informed that solid foods are not recommended for babies under six months. All introducing solid food information should reflect this information.

5.6 Support for formula feeding

At the birth visit mothers who formula feed will have a discussion about how feeding is going. Recognising that this information will have been discussed with maternity service staff, but may need revisiting or reinforcing; and being sensitive to a mother’s previous experience, staff will check that:

Mothers who formula feed understand about the importance of responsive feeding and how to:

  • respond to cues that their baby is hungry
  • invite their baby to draw in the teat rather than forcing the teat into their baby’s mouth
  • pace the feed so that their baby is not forced to feed more than they want to
  • recognise their baby’s cues that they have had enough milk and avoid forcing their baby to take more milk than the baby wants, guide to bottle feeding (opens in new window)

5.7 Introducing solid food

All parents will have a brief discussion at the 6 to 8 week contact about when and how to introduce solid food including:

  • giving the latest evidence-based literature (opens in new window) to support this that includes solid food should be started at around six months.
  • baby’s signs of developmental readiness for solid food
  • how to introduce solid food to babies
  • appropriate foods for babies
  • at 4 to 5 months of age, information sharing of the media links
  • encouragement to attend health led groups for face-to-face information at any point
  • at 6 months of age a face-to-face visit may be offered (as this is a onetime only offer) which includes the development assessment and introduction to solid foods

5.8 Support for parenting and close relationships

All parents will be supported to understand a baby’s needs (including encouraging frequent skin-to-skin and sensitive verbal or visual communication, keeping babies close, responsive feeding and safe sleeping practice).

Primary care givers who formula feed are encouraged to limit the number of different people who feed the baby.

5.9 A welcome for breastfeeding families

Breastfeeding will be regarded as a normal way to feed babies and young children. Mothers will be enabled and supported to breastfeed their infants in all public areas of the organisation.

Signs in all public areas of the facility will inform users of this policy. All breastfeeding mothers will be supported to develop strategies for breastfeeding outside the home and should be provided with information about places locally where breastfeeding is known to be welcomed.

Health staff will use their influence wherever possible to promote awareness of the needs of breastfeeding mothers in the local community, including cafés, restaurants and public facilities we support our mums campaign (opens in new window).

5.10 Health staff and their engagement with the code of marketing

No literature provided by infant formula manufacturers is permitted (Unicef 2019). Educational material for distribution to women and their families must be approved by the baby friendly initiative working group. Breast milk substitutes will not be sold or exchanged by RDaSH children, young people and families staff or on RDaSH premises.

Healthcare staff who are approached by an infant feeding company representative, will ask the representative to arrange a date to attend a meeting of the Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council-led ‘starting well meeting‘.

Health staff will not arrange to see the infant feeding company representative in working time. If cause is felt to see an infant feeding company representative separately, please contact your manager for approval. The manager will discuss at the starting well meeting.

Infant feeding company representatives cannot be facilitated by RDaSH staff to have direct access to patients, clients or the general public.

Healthcare staff will not accept or use materials that advertise infant feeding company branding and logos such as mugs, pens, diary covers, obstetric calculators, notepads, and leaflets.

5.11 Encouraging community support for breastfeeding

All breastfeeding mothers will be provided with contact details for healthcare staff that can provide support with breastfeeding, see below.

All breastfeeding mothers will be informed about local and national initiatives to support breastfeeding (these are recorded within the child held health record).

Parents will be given information about local parenting support that is available such as breast-start groups, first friends group and growing friends group

Local breastfeeding support:

  • Doncaster’s breast-start group, details of which can be obtained from the Doncaster family hubs and, or children, young people and families health teams, and social media sites
  • Doncaster’s peer support service, details of which can be obtained from the Doncaster family hubs and, or children, young people and families health teams
  • Doncaster’s free breast pump loan scheme, details of which can be obtained from the children, young people and families health teams
  • single point of contact within the health visiting service, phone 0300 0218997
Local National Childbirth Trust (NCT)
National breastfeeding support

5.12 Returning to work

All mothers will be offered a conversation about returning to work, this will include:

  • supporting a mother to make a plan which allows her to maximise the breast milk she gives while being realistic about her situation
  • consideration of the age of her baby, opportunities to express or store milk, partial breastfeeding and giving other food or fluids when she is not there

6 Training implications

6.1 Infant feeding 2-day course, employee groups requiring training community-based children, young people and families clinical staff responsible for the care of pregnant and breastfeeding women, including health visitors, community staff nurses, nursery nurses, health promotion practitioners

  • How often should this be undertaken: Evidence of previous training to be demonstrated, or staff member to complete training within 6 months of employment. Undertaken once.
  • Length of training: Mandatory 2-day training course and practical skills reviews.
  • Delivery method: Face to face or virtual.
  • Training delivered by whom: Training delivered by infant feeding co-ordinator alongside breastfeeding staff that are specialist trained from baby friendly initiative. (BFI) utilising specialist breastfeeding sources.
  • Where are the records of attendance held: Electronic staff record system (ESR) and infant feeding co-ordinator data base on L drive.

6.2 Annual infant feeding update, community-based children, young people and families clinical staff responsible for the care of pregnant and breastfeeding women, for example, health visitors, staff nurse, nursery nurses, health promotion practitioners

  • How often should this be undertaken: Annual update.
  • Length of training: 3.5 hours.
  • Delivery method: Face to face or virtual.
  • Training delivered by whom: Infant feeding co-ordinator alongside breastfeeding staff that are specialist trained from baby friendly Initiative. (BFI) utilising specialist breastfeeding sources.
  • Where are the records of attendance held: Electronic staff record system (ESR) and infant feeding co-ordinator data base on L drive.

6.3 Infant feeding awareness, community-based children, young people and families staff, who are not responsible for the clinical care of pregnant and breastfeeding women and trust staff clinically supporting breastfeeding mothers in other aspects of their health

  • How often should this be undertaken: Within 6 months of commencing employment, once only.
  • Length of training: 2-hour breastfeeding awareness or orientation to the breastfeeding policy session.
  • Delivery method: Face to face or virtual.
  • Training delivered by whom: Infant feeding co-ordinator alongside breastfeeding staff that are specialist trained from baby friendly initiative. (BFI) utilising specialist breastfeeding sources.
  • Where are the records of attendance held: Electronic staff record system (ESR) and infant feeding co-ordinator data base on L drive.

7 Equality impact assessment screening

To access the equality impact assessment for this policy, please email rdash.equalityanddiversity@nhs.net to request the document.

7.1 Privacy, dignity and respect

The NHS Constitution states that all patients should feel that their privacy and dignity are respected while they are in hospital. High Quality Care for All (2008), Lord Darzi’s review of the NHS, identifies the need to organise care around the individual, “not just clinically but in terms of dignity and respect”.

As a consequence the trust is required to articulate its intent to deliver care with privacy and dignity that treats all service users with respect. Therefore, all procedural documents will be considered, if relevant, to reflect the requirement to treat everyone with privacy, dignity and respect, (when appropriate this should also include how same sex accommodation is provided).

7.1.1 How this will be met

Using the Unicef baby friendly initiative accreditation process, client privacy and dignity will be embedded in the community setting, and all service users will be treated with respect throughout their pathway of care, relating to their choice of baby feeding method. Staff work within the guidelines of the general data protection regulation (GDPR).

7.2 Mental Capacity Act (2005)

Central to any aspect of care delivered to adults and young people aged 16 years or over will be the consideration of the individuals’ capacity to participate in the decision-making process. Consequently, no intervention should be carried out without either the individual’s informed consent, or the powers included in a legal framework, or by order of the court.

Therefore, the trust is required to make sure that all staff working with individuals who use our service are familiar with the provisions within the Mental Capacity Act (2005). For this reason all procedural documents will be considered, if relevant to reflect the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) to ensure that the rights of individual are protected and they are supported to make their own decisions where possible and that any decisions made on their behalf when they lack capacity are made in their best interests and least restrictive of their rights and freedoms.

7.2.1 How this will be met

All individuals involved in the implementation of this policy should do so in accordance with the guiding principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

8 Links to any other associated documents

9 References

This policy reflects best practice based on best current evidence alongside recommendations from the UK’s governing bodies with regard to promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding:

10 Appendices

10.1 Appendix A Breastfeeding assessment form

10.2 Appendix B The Unicef baby friendly initiative bottle feeding assessment tool

10.3 Appendix C Responsibilities, accountabilities and duties

10.3.1 Trust or chief executive responsibilities

The trust is responsible for ensuring the quality of the implementation of the strategies that support health and wellbeing that are described within this policy.

The chief executive has overall accountability for having policies and procedures in place to support best practice, effective management and service delivery. This responsibility is delegated to the directors and senior managers of the trust.

10.3.2 Service managers

Make arrangements for the effective implementation and monitoring of the policy (see section 7).

10.3.3 Infant feeding co-ordinators

Have responsibility to:

  • communicate the infant feeding policy to all staff within the Children’s care group who have contact with pregnant or breastfeeding women and mothers, as soon as their employment begins
  • ensure that the infant feeding policy is implemented within the Children’s care group
  • ensure that all professional and support staff within their area of responsibility access the appropriate mandatory training within the specified timeframes
  • ensure the international code of marketing breast milk substitutes is implemented throughout the service (WHO 1981)
  • ensure that all staff are aware that no advertising of breast milk substitutes feeding bottles teats or dummies is permissible in any premises used by RDaSH staff
  • ensure that staff are discouraged from attending study days sponsored by formula companies and that they are not permitted to bring promotional material into the workplace.

10.3.4 Team Leaders

To ensure that staff undertake the required training and monitor adherence to the policy.

10.3.5 Specialist Breastfeeding team

The specialist team is made up of the infant feeding lead, health visitors, nursery nurses, and health promotion practitioners who have an extended passion into the topic of Infant feeding.

It was a requirement from baby friendly initiative (BFI) that the team:

  • support the workforce in caring and offering additional support to women in need in regard to feeding issues
  • also run the breast start group across Doncaster, offering breastfeeding support to all who may require this additional support
  • support the 0 to 5 children’s care group in implementing the Infant feeding policy and the standards from the baby friendly initiative (BFI) for health visiting
  • the team assist the infant feeding lead with audits of staff and mothers so that we maintain our accreditation status from the baby friendly initiative (BFI)
  • assist in cascading new information about all ways of feeding, to all staff within the care group
  • lead on infant feeding training

10.3.6 Staff members of the children’s care group, children, young people and families division

Have the responsibility to read, understand and adhere to this policy. Any proposed deviation must be justified and recorded in the appropriate clinical records and discussed with the infant feeding co-ordinator.

Have responsibility to attend training appropriate to their role.

It is the responsibility of RDaSH children, young people and families employees to work to and communicate the baby friendly initiative (BFI) standards and the links on the public website to this policy to all pregnant women and parents of breastfed babies.

Staff will inform mothers about or refer mothers to, targeted interventions to promote breastfeeding, as follows:

  • all pregnant women are to be invited to any of Doncaster’s local breast start breastfeeding groups and provided with information about the breast pump loan scheme and the breastfeeding peer supporter availability in Doncaster

Staff will not discriminate against any woman in her chosen method of infant feeding and will fully support her when she has made that choice.

It is the responsibility of RDaSH children, young people and families staff to liaise with the baby’s medical attendants (paediatrician, general practitioner) should concern arise about the baby’s health, (either directly or through their immediate supervisor).

It is the responsibility of all RDaSH children, young people and families staff to ensure that no advertising of breast milk substitutes, feeding bottles, teats or dummies takes place in any part of an RDaSH children, young people and families facility, this includes the display of manufacturers’ logos on items such as calendars and stationery, and includes areas of the facility which are not accessible by the public, for example, in staff offices. In line with WHO or Unicef International code of marketing of breast milk substitutes (opens in new window).

10.3.7 Other trust staff working with breastfeeding parents

It is the responsibility of all staff to act in the best interests of pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, their babies and their families.

Staff are responsible for accessing awareness training appropriate to their role and within the specified timeframes.

10.4 Appendix D Monitoring arrangements

10.4.1 Evaluation of the infant feeding policy

  • How: Self-evaluation checklist.
  • Who by: Trust infant feeding co-radiator.
  • Reported to: Service manager.
  • Frequency: Annually, or when required by baby friendly accreditation processes.

10.4.2 The infant feeding policy is implemented appropriately

  • How: Team leaders have the responsibility to ensure that the policy is implemented within their area of responsibility.
  • Who by: Team leaders.
  • Reported to: Service manager for health visiting service.
  • Frequency: Annually.

10.4.3 Staff skills and knowledge (Doncaster 0 to 5 health visiting service)

  • How: Staff audit.
  • Who by: Trust infant feeding co-ordinator.
  • Reported to: Service manager for health visiting service.
  • Frequency: 3 to 4 monthly sample of staff audited.

10.4.4 The appropriate mandatory training is accessed by staff groups within the specified timeframes

  • How: Electronic staff register (ESR).
  • Who by: Trust infant feeding co-ordinator.
  • Reported to: Service manager for health visiting service.
  • Frequency: Annually.

Document control

  • Version: 6.
  • Unique reference number: 388.
  • Approved by: Clinical policy review and approval group.
  • Date approved: 4 October 2022.
  • Name of originator or author: Feeding co-ordinator or health visitor.
  • Name of responsible individual: Director or nursing and allied health professionals.
  • Date issued: 7 October 2022.
  • Review date: October 2025.
  • Target audience: All Doncaster RDaSH children’s care group staff and RDaSH staff working with adults who are breastfeeding, for example, IAPT, volunteers and agency staff.

Page last reviewed: December 16, 2024
Next review due: December 16, 2025

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