The maternity service at the James Paget University Hospital has been recognised by an international charity for its support of mothers and their new-born babies.

Staff at the Paget's maternity team are celebrating after being awarded the Unicef Baby Friendly Award, following an inspection carried out by the charity at the hospital earlier this year.

The Baby Friendly initiative, set up by Unicef and the World Health Organisation, is a global programme which provides a practical and effective way for health services to improve the care provided for all mothers and babies.

The award is given to hospitals that demonstrate to Unicef assessors that recognised best practice standards are in place. Paget infant feeding co-ordinator Kay Horn, said: 'We are delighted to have received the Baby Friendly Award, as it underlines our commitment to providing the best standards of care to mothers and their babies.

'Breastfeeding protects babies against a wide range of serious illnesses including gastroenteritis and respiratory infections in infancy.

'But however a mother chooses to feed her baby, she can be sure that she will be supported by maternity staff here at the James Paget to form a strong, loving relationship with her new-born – through having maximum skin-to-skin contact and understanding how her baby communicates with her and needs her to respond.'

The Unicef inspection at the James Paget's maternity unit took place on January 27 this year.

They inspected all aspects of the hospital's maternity service including community midwives and the neonatal unit.