News & Events: Media Releases

Frances Perry House new Breast Feeding Service

2010

Feedback from mothers in the postnatal wards identified that one of the main areas of frustration were time delays in waiting for Midwives to assist them with breastfeeding and inconsistent advice. Frances Perry House investigated innovative ways of addressing this need to improve satisfaction for parents and midwives. This has resulted in the establishment of a breastfeeding room, allowing mothers increased ownership of the breastfeeding experience.

In response to this feedback the Nurse Unit Manager of the post natal ward, developed the concept of a different model of care to address these issues – the model of care involved a mothers feeding area, staffed by a lactation consultant, that mothers could access as required, to feed their babies. We raised this concept at a postnatal patient focus group that was held in 2007.

As Frances Perry House was relocating to a new building the following year there was an opportunity to allocate a room for this purpose. The implementation of a breastfeeding room in the new facility was the result of a consultative approach between patients, midwives and consultant obstetricians, based on information from the Victorian 2005 Hospitals report and patient satisfaction surveys.

The mothers liked the concept, so we explored options with them of how it could be set up, who would be able to access the room, etc. Feedback provided from the mothers included:-

• They liked the option of knowing they could get assistance from a breastfeeding specialist midwife if they chose to attend the room.
• They felt that privacy would be reassuring – so the room would be restricted access to mothers only.

Since implementation, two formal patient surveys of patients were conducted that chose to use the room. The first survey was conduced in late 2008, once the staff were settled into the new environment, several minor adjustments were made to the program in the first few weeks from ongoing discussions with patients and midwives. A second survey was conducted in early 2009 after we had implemented changes from the first feedback.

The vast majority of patients regarded the room as a positive experience. An average of 39% of mothers on the ward utilised the room daily. Mothers can access the room as often as they wish. 60% of these mothers accessed the room for one visit, whilst 25% returned for a second visit.

Comments from patients included recurring compliments of the staff, their knowledge, support and enthusiasm. They found the time with other mothers and the ability to share their experiences is invaluable.

Evaluation indicates that this is an innovative approach, not only benefiting mothers but also improving midwives satisfaction.

Frances Perry House Maternity Unit Manager and her concept of a Breast Feeding Room were selected as a finalist in “2009 Leadership in Nursing and Midwifery Awards”, presented by Deakin University and Health Super.