It was a pleasure to visit Dorset County Hospital Neonatal Unit to see the new equipment in place, which was funded through the Oral Health Programme. This investment reflects our shared commitment to giving every baby the very best start in life by creating an environment that supports safe, effective, and nurturing infant feeding.
The improvements include new recliner chairs at every neonatal cot-side and family room, in addition to microwaves and Sterifeed bags in the milk kitchen. These enhancements have been carefully chosen to support skin-to-skin contact, comfortable breastfeeding, and safe positioning, while recognising the strong link between breastfeeding and improved oral health. Breastfeeding plays a vital role in promoting health oral development. It supports the natural growth and alignment of the jaw and teeth, reduces the risk of dental malocclusion, and offers protection against early childhood dental decay. The benefits extend far beyond infancy, contributing to better oral health outcomes throughout childhood into later life. This initiative has been delivered alongside our Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) work, strengthening our collective commitment to ensuing every mother and baby has the best possible opportunity to achieve their feeding goals. By embedding the BFI standards alongside the provision of high-quality equipment, we are creating the conditions for safe and effective feeding practices.
Jenny Hyett, Junior Sister & Infant Feeding Lead for SCBU, Dorset County Hospital (DCH) said:
It was fantastic to take part in the 15 steps event organised by our Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) and hear all the meaningful feedback from those who attended the event, including past service users. This event, alongside our family feedback and drive for Bliss and UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) accreditation has meant that we have been able to evidence our need for new equipment.
Skin to skin (or kangaroo care) is vital to establishing parent-infant relationships and successful breastfeeding. In order for parents and babies to have unrushed skin to skin, they need somewhere safe and comfortable to sit. At the time of the 15 steps walk around we only had 5 recliner chairs and frequently had parents and babies having skin to skin or breastfeeding in unsuitable chairs. Since we were able to acquire funding through the Oral Health Programme, we now have recliners in every cot space and every parent’s room, facilitating comfort, privacy and safe cuddles and feeding for parents and babies. The new microwaves and sterilising bags mean that feeding and pumping equipment can be safely and effectively sterilised without the use of chemicals and need for rinsing.
The LMNS have been pivotal in supporting Dorset County Hospital SCBU’s UNICEF BFI accreditation with strong presence in all areas of the perinatal journey and funding support. This has already led to significant improvements in family satisfaction and infant feeding outcomes. We look forward to continuing to work closely with our MNVP and past and present service users to drive meaningful improvements that make a difference to the families in our care.
This initiative was delivered directly in response to feedback from service users, gathered during a 15-steps visit. Listening to the experiences of families has been central to ensuring that these improvements meet the needs of those using our services, creates a more supportive environment.
Hannah, Trust Lead, Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) said:
“We are delighted to see the positive impact of the 15 Steps events held by Dorset MNVP at Dorset County Hospital in September 2025. These events brought together Maternity and Neonatal service users, alongside representatives from Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations, to share their experiences and ideas for improving local services. The feedback gathered helped shape action plans focused on making meaningful improvements for families. Thanks to the support of the Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) and Oral Health Programme several improvements have already been delivered as a direct result of this feedback. These included the procurement of recliner chairs, steriliser bags, and microwaves for the maternity and neonatal unit. It is wonderful to see service user feedback leading to real changes that will benefit parents, babies, and families across Dorset. We would also like to thank both Trusts for embracing and supporting the 15 steps approach, helping to create opportunities for families’ voices to be heard and acted upon.”
These investments will help improve outcomes for babies and families, support healthier childhoods, reduce risk if long-term illness and poor oral health, giving every child the strongest possible foundation for a healthy future.
Ash Boreham, Deputy Director Partnerships, Research, and Innovation, NHS Dorset said:
“Dorset established an Oral Health Programme, with the aim to support the health and wellbeing of Dorset residents through improved oral health, by providing accessible and equitable NHS dental care and empowering people to take care of their own oral health. This will be achieved by delivering targeted improvements across oral health workforce, access, and prevention:
Prevention is key – promoting oral health across our community and reducing the incidence of dental problems before they start. We have embraced as team in Dorset that prevention of oral disease begins at the very start – that is then reinforced through early years through first dental steps, supervised toothbrushing, and applications such as Brush DJ to support that transition into adulthood. The amazing work being done in Dorset County Hospital by the dedicated teams in SCBU and maternity gives our very youngest the best start in life and prevents tooth decay.”
