Medicash has revealed Alder Hey Children’s Hospital as the latest partner in its ambitious £2.1 million project to enhance NHS hospital services across the North West. Funded by the Medicash Foundation, this grant will finance a crucial nursing post dedicated to supporting infant feeding at Alder Hey for the next four years.
This new position will be instrumental in advancing the Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI), an internationally recognised programme led by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation. The BFI promotes breastfeeding and helps organisations foster close family relationships by providing a framework for improving care.
Originally focused on families with newborns in neonatal care, the BFI standards are now being adapted to meet the needs of older babies and children in paediatric settings. Working with national experts, Alder Hey is leading the development of these extended standards. The newly funded nursing role will enable the hospital to pilot this expanded programme, offering families additional feeding support.
Nathan Askew, Chief Nurse at Alder Hey, underlined the significance of the initiative: “All children deserve the best start in life, and we know from research the vital role that breastfeeding can play in this. Breast milk not only contains essential nutrition for infants but also benefits the immune system and strengthens parental bonding.”
Breastfeeding rates in the UK have risen, but they remain lower than in many European countries, with Liverpool falling below the national average. Alder Hey aims to address this through the children’s hospital pilot, which could make a substantial difference to local families.
Askew added: “This initiative has already profoundly affected maternity and neonatal units, and we look forward to working with local families to positively influence breastfeeding practices in the future. By providing specialist support to families during their time with us, we ensure that these babies will receive the best possible start in life.”
Sue Weir, Chief Executive of Medicash and Medicash Foundation Trustee, shared her thoughts on the initiative: “We are excited to be involved in such an important project, that will have a real and positive impact on the lives of future generations in Liverpool and beyond. This builds on our recent partnership with the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and we look forward to working with more hospitals across the North West over the coming years. I’m delighted that as a business we are able to fund such important projects and witness the incredible impact they have within both their local communities and further afield.”
