£350,000 cash injection to support local babies

A £350,000 cash injection will see 100 young parents in the Borough receive additional care and support to give their baby the very best start in life.

NHS England’s Greater Manchester Team has provided funding to HMR Community Services, part of Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, to support first-time mums under the age of 20 years.

The money will be used to roll-out an evidence-based Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) programme, from July 2014. A team of specially-trained and experienced nurses has been recruited, who will support young mums, and her extended family, from early pregnancy through to the child’s second birthday.

The team will be integrated with HMR Community Services’ existing child and family teams, for example health visitors and school nurses, and will work closely with Rochdale Council’s children’s services, including children’s centres. This will ensure a joined-up approach to families’ health and social care needs.

A nurse will visit expectant parents at home to develop their confidence, emotional and social development and skills around their own and their baby’s care needs and how to make healthy improvements to their lives. There will be a strong emphasis on building on their strengths and their desire to ensure the very best for their child. The nurse will also work hard to build a strong relationship with parents.

Clients will also have the opportunity to get involved in shaping the future of the FNP programme, including participating in the Family Nurse Partnership Advisory Board and supporting the recruitment of new FNP nurses.

The aim of the FNP programme is to ensure parents are prepared for the emotional and practical challenges of parenthood and can confidently face these head on and develop a positive relationship with their baby. This will help to ensure the child has the very best start in life, can reach their full potential and is less likely to experience health and social problems in the future.

The programme is already up and running in Wigan, Manchester and Bolton, as well as many other areas of the country, providing firm evidence for the many benefits offered. This includes improvements around relationships, wellbeing, confidence and interaction with their child and increased aspirations for the future. Other benefits include a reduction in smoking in pregnancy and increased breastfeeding rates.

Jeanette Jones is the Rochdale borough FNP Programme Supervisor, for Pennine Care. Jeanette has a wealth of experience having worked as a Family Nurse in Manchester since the programme started in 2007.

Jeanette said: “I’m excited to be involved in setting up the programme for HMR and seeing the benefits for young parents and families in the borough.

“Evidence shows that providing the right emotional and practical support early on can improve the health and social outcomes for young parents and ensure a solid foundation for their baby’s future development.

“Successful delivery of the programme will rely on the team working in an integrated way with other health and social care professionals. I look forward to this real opportunity to improve the health and wellbeing of future generations.”

Rochdale Acting Director of Public Health, Wendy Meston, has welcomed the additional funding and said: “FNP is proven to have a significant positive impact on the lives of young parents and their children, and we see the delivery of the programme in Rochdale borough as a real opportunity to support young parents in giving their child the best start in life.

“Supporting children and families in the early years is a key priority for Rochdale Borough Council, and FNP is a key element of our local plans.”

The NHS England Greater Manchester Team is rolling the FNP programme across the area. Oldham and Rochdale are going first in July 2014, followed by Bury and Salford in October 2014 and finally Trafford and Tameside in February 2015.

Dr Raj Patel, Medical Director for the Greater Manchester Area Team said: “Investment in services for pregnancy and in the first years of life has been clearly shown to transform the life chances of children.

“NHS England is proud to deliver a transformed Healthy Child Programme to all children, and the Family Nurse Partnership programme for young first time mothers and their babies.

“Nationally, there will be 16,000 FNP places available. Greater Manchester has the largest expansion of the programme outside London, with 1,250 places available by March 2015. This will support children in Greater Manchester to get the best start in life.”

Following the launch at the end of July, young mums who are eligible for the programme will be signposted to the programme by their GP, midwife, or other professional, as part of their package of early ante-natal care. Enrolment on to the programme is entirely voluntary. They will also be able to self-refer and contact details will be available nearer the time.