A neonatal unit in Glasgow has become the first in Scotland to receive a prestigious "gold" award for its work.

Yesterday, the unit at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children (RHC) was officially awarded gold accreditation from the Bliss Baby Charter in recognition of its dedication to “family-centred care”.

Staff at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital-based site were visited by Minister for Public Health, Maree Todd, who presented them with the award.

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Ms Todd said: “The Unit is leading the way in delivering family-focused care, as outlined in The Best Start, our strategy for maternity and neonatal care, and the achievement of the Bliss Baby Charter gold accreditation is a great achievement.

“The presentation of today’s award reflects the immensely important contribution you all provide for the parents and babies in your care.”

Bliss is a UK-based charity for babies who are born prematurely or with sickness which seeks to support the families of those in need of neonatal care. 

The RHC’s neonatal unit was praised by the charity for its positive approach to collecting feedback from families of patients which has allowed them to continuously develop their approach to the services they provide.

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Caroline Lee-Davey, Chief Executive of Bliss Scotland, said: “The culture of the Royal Hospital for Children neonatal unit is clearly family-centred, with families referencing an extremely welcoming environment with supportive staff who are always keen to listen and encourage parents to be involved in their baby’s care, which is vital to babies having the best possible outcomes.

“We are thrilled to award the unit with the first Gold Baby Charter accreditation in Scotland – it’s an amazing achievement that the whole team should be proud of.”

After accepting the award, Ainsley Ballantyne, Senior Charge Nurse at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, said: “We are delighted for everyone across the team to be recognised by Bliss Baby Charter for their continued hard work.

“The whole team are so passionate about providing the highest standard of family-centred care and this award further highlights this approach, while recognising how much hard work the team have been putting in.

“With the challenges of the last couple of years, it’s a real morale boost for the staff to see how much their efforts are being recognised and appreciated.”