Our mother and baby unit (MBU) Ribblemere in Chorley, has been re-accredited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) Perinatal Quality Network (PQN). This is the highest gold standard achievement for perinatal services.
The PQN works with members to share best practice at a national level. Their review and accreditation process promotes the highest level of care, which has once again been recognised at Ribblemere, three years after their last review.
There are 264 individual standards which are reviewed by an external team including PQN representatives, which need to be met and appropriate evidence provided for every standard. It was recognised that Ribblemere remains the only Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) Gold award-accredited mother and baby unit in the country, which encourages and supports infant feeding and bonding.
Ribblemere is our eight-bed, national inpatient facility which enables treatment and recovery for mothers with serious mental health problems (or are at a high risk of relapse) including post-partum psychosis, severe post-natal depression and other complex perinatal mental health conditions.
It allows mums to access inpatient support and treatment whilst remaining alongside their babies. Being able to stay with their baby whilst receiving care helps foster the mum infant bond which is a really important aspect of perinatal care.
The unit is staffed by multidisciplinary teams across psychiatry, nursing, psychology, occupational therapy, social work and nursery care.
Ward Manager Robyn Catlow said:
“It’s fantastic to be accredited again in this way and we got there as a team. We are always striving to provide the best care for our mums, babies and the wider family. It was lovely to read back some good feedback from the review and explore further opportunities to improve.”
