Breastfeeding drop-in funding crisis!

Just in case you missed this and because I’m reaaallly behind on posts at the moment. Sorry!

Well done to everyone who was involved in getting the original decision reversed!

I have the details for the new drop in points, so will publish those hopefully by the end of the week. If you get desperate for the details, let me know!

Breastfeeding drop-in funding crisis!

We at Hampshire BFCs are pleased to announce that, following a meeting on Friday 19th Junewith Hampshire County Council Public Health, we are pleased to be able to let you know that when our current funding for the drop-ins in Andover and Basingstoke and Deane area runs out at the end of July, Hampshire County Council will then fund them until the end of March 2016.

This will allow time to agree a future model for breastfeeding support across Hampshire.

The drop-ins that are affected are at Spring Meadow in Andover, Chineham, Overton, Tadley, Whitchurch, Kingsclere and Brookvale (Basingstoke).

For information follow:https://www.facebook.com/HampshireBreastfeedingCounselli

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Local breastfeeding drop-ins – Funding Crisis – we need you to help us NOW!!!!

Local breastfeeding drop-ins – Funding Crisis – we need you to help us NOW – If you would like to support our case for ongoing funding – please do NOW make contact by email with those who have influence over these decisions – details are below.

When our 2 year grant funding finishes at the end of this month we have no ongoing funding for our breastfeeding drop-ins in Andover and Basingstoke. For the last 6 months we have been working with commissioners at the CCG but were very disappointed to find out two weeks ago that they do not plan to change the way they commission maternity services to include the breastfeeding drop-ins. (The term “commissioning” means buying services – using money allocated by central government).

Our recent evaluation of the 479 women who registered last year at one of our drop-ins, shows us that women feel that this service is different and more specialised than what is generally on offer to them. If you would like a copy of the evaluation please email us (contact at end of this letter).

We are continuing to negotiate positively with those in a range of organisations who have a responsibility for supporting women to breastfeed in Hampshire. In fact this is part of the problem – as there is no single organisation responsible.

If you would like to support our case for ongoing funding – please do NOW make contact by email with those who have influence over these decisions – details are below.

We would appreciate it if you could copy Fiona in to any emails you do send. Fiona Robertson: fiona@hampshirebfcs.co.uk

If you have used our drop-ins, you might like to include your own experience of using our service and why it was different from the service you received elsewhere – the commissioners believe they are already paying for enough breastfeeding support without our drop-ins – do you agree? If not, please tell them why. The cost of commissioning our drop-ins is about the same as the cost of employing one nurse or midwife; i.e. a tiny fraction of the overall CCG budget.

We have included a range of people you may consider emailing – these are all people who hold influence over how Department of Health money is spent in Hampshire.

For your ease of copying and pasting here is the list of email addresses:

sam.hullah@nhs.net

Sally.Pastellas@hampshire.nhs.uk

amandabritton@nhs.net

janet.hoff@hants.gov.uk

public.health@hants.gov.uk

Nicky.Adamson-Young@southernhealth.nhs.uk

Caroline.Brunt@hhft.nhs.uk

+ your MP and your local councillor.

The benefits of breastfeeding and some key information about how the NHS saves money when women breastfeed follows after the email addresses.

Key organisations and people you may like to contact

North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

The CCGs are the fairly new groups that are run by GP practices to commission (ie purchase) all the services patients need.

These are the local CCGs aims:
■ being open and accountable to our patients and communities, ensuring they are at the heart of everything we do
■ understanding our population and addressing inequalities so that services are in place to meet needs
■ planning services that best meet those needs now and in the future
■ aiming to secure the right care in the right place at the right time and at the right price

Dr Sam Hullah, Chief Clinical Officer of North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group and chair of the Clinical Cabinet. Dr Hullah is responsible for leading on decisions about how the CCG budget is spent and on which services. Why not let him know what you think should be a priority?

sam.hullah@nhs.net

Sally Pastellas – Senior Commissioning Manager for maternity and children – North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group – Sally has worked with us over 6 months looking at the service we provide and put the case to the clinical cabinet to consider funding the drop-ins which was rejected. The letter confirming this said: “North Hampshire CCG is committed to improving breast feeding rates for local women and will continue to look at initiatives that will support this commitment.”

Sally.Pastellas@hampshire.nhs.uk

Dr Amanda Britton, Vice Chair of the CCG clinical cabinet and also a GP at The Hackwood surgery. Amanda is aware of the service we offer as her surgery is very close to the Brookvale drop-in.

amandabritton@nhs.net

Hampshire County Council:

Janet Hoff – Children’s Services Commissioner – Janet leads the team that commissions Action for Children (the Children’s Centres) to deliver services to families including breastfeeding. It was a grant from Children’s Services that funded the drop-ins for their first year.

janet.hoff@hants.gov.uk

Ruth Milton – Director of Public Health, Hampshire – Public health commission services and have a responsibility to promote and support breastfeeding for improved health outcomes for resident of Hampshire. It was a Health and Wellbeing grant from public health funds that funds the drop-ins for the second year (until the end of May).

public.health@hants.gov.uk

Local Councillors – “Councillors decide the budgets and policies for the vital local services provided by Hampshire County Council.” You might like to tell yours what you think HCC should be spending local money on – the list is here and ask them to contact Janet Hoff and Ruth Milton.

http://www3.hants.gov.uk/yourcountyc…/findyourcouncillor.htm

Southern Health

Southern Health currently commissions all of the health visiting service.

Nicky Adamson-Young – Divisional Director for Children and Families

Nicky has visited our drop-in at Whitchurch where we run alongside the health visitor clinic and a stay and play session run by the Children’s Centre – she commented that this three way partnership was regarded as a model of best practice for supporting families.

Nicky.Adamson-Young@southernhealth.nhs.uk

Hampshire Hospitals – Midwifery

Caroline Brunt, Associate Director of Midwifery and Women’s Health & Deputy Chief Nurse – Caroline has supported our discussions with the CCG over the last 6 months and has agreed to contribute financially if other parties with a responsibility for breastfeeding also contribute.

Caroline.Brunt@hhft.nhs.uk

Your MP – parliament is currently dissolved for the election

Likely to be Maria Miller in Basingstoke and Kit Malthouse (North West Hampshire including Overton and Whitchurch) kit@kitmalthouse.com We don’t have information about Andover at this stage

Information about our drop-ins from our evaluation completed last week that you may like to use:

In the last 12 months in Andover and Basingstoke:

1.Of the mothers registered with Andover and Basingstoke GPs who initiated breastfeeding, 17.6% registered at one of our drop-ins
2.474 women registered at a drop-in in the last 12 months and there were 1228 visits (women often return a second or third time either with a complex issue or with a different issue at a later stage) To run the drop-ins in Basingstoke and Andover for 12 months costs about the same as to employ one nurse or midwife for one year.
3.At first postnatal visit to a drop-in, 51% of babies are under 4 weeks
4.93% of mothers reported that their breastfeeding issues were fully or partially resolved as a result of attending one of the drop-ins and 87% reported that their confidence in breastfeeding improved as a result of attending.
5.At 6 weeks, 84% of the babies whose mothers received our support were exclusively breastfed, compared to 38.3% for North Hampshire CCG area

Evidence that supporting breastfeeding effectively saves the NHS money:

1.Breastfeeding initiation rates for North Hampshire are just under 80%, yet at 6-8 weeks less than half of mothers (48% Wessex Area CCGs, NHS England 2015) are giving any breastmilk to their babies.
2.86% of mothers who stop breastfeeding in the first 2 weeks report that they would have liked to breastfeed for longer (McAndrew, F. et al. 2012)
3.UNICEF UK commissioned the report “Preventing Disease and Saving Resources” (2012) and the report findings show that for just 5 illnesses, moderate increases in breastfeeding would translate in to NHS cost savings of £40 million and a reduction in hospital admissions and GP consultations.
4.The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement estimated an average overnight stay for a patient in an NHS hospital was £225 (2008) and the 2013 Units Health and Social Care report from the Personal Social Services Research found that an 11.7 minute trip to the GP costs the NHS £45 and £27 for a 7.1 minute telephone consultation with a GP. Babies in the UK who are not breastfed are five times as likely to be admitted to hospital in the first year of life with gastrointestinal illness (Jones 2013).

The UNICEF report concludes: “Investment in effective services to increase and sustain breastfeeding rates is likely to provide a return within a few years, possibly as little as one year.”

If you would like to get a copy of our evaluation or offer any further support please contact us:

Sarah Crowdy: sarah@hampshirebfcs.co.uk

Mindy Noble: mindy@hampshirebfcs.co.uk

Fiona Robertson: fiona@hampshirebfcs.co.uk

Funding crisis for breastfeeding drop-ins in Andover and Basingstoke area

This makes me really, really angry!

How is it possible, in this day and age, that we have no funding for Basingstoke and Andover breastfeeding drop-in’s!!?!?!?!?

Funding crisis for breastfeeding drop-ins in Andover and Basingstoke area

Basingstoke and Andover breastfeeding drop-ins remain open right now and at least until the end of May.

We have no secured funding beyond then.

Check Facebook for updates: https://www.facebook.com/HampshireBreastfeedingCounselling

Breastfeeding drop-ins in Andover and Basingstoke area set up two years ago have been funded by grants so far

You’ll be aware that for the past two years a group of NCT trained breastfeeding counsellors have been providing breastfeeding support to mothers through a series of breastfeeding support drop-ins in these areas.

The drop-ins have been managed by the not-for-profit organisation called Hampshire BFCs Ltd. and the funding was provided through grants initially from Hampshire County Council and this past year through grants from the Borough Council Health and Wellbeing Boards. 

No ongoing funding is available from the CCG

We’ve been working with commissioners at the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for the past six months and were hopeful that we would receive ongoing funding from them. Unfortunately we found out last week that the CCG have decided that they are not intending to change the way they fund maternity services and so will be unable to fund us. This is bitterly disappointing for us and the women we support.

What this means for the breastfeeding drop-ins NOW

We are vigorously exploring any possible short term options for funding and intend to stay open for as long as possible.

All breastfeeding drop-ins remain open as normal right now and at least until the end of May 2015.

Updates will be posted on our Facebook page regularly. Please check there regularly. https://www.facebook.com/HampshireBreastfeedingCounselling

What this means for the breastfeeding drop-ins for the future

We will be forced to close these drop-ins completely within a few months if we don’t find a funding solution.

List of breastfeeding drop-ins which are affected

These are the breastfeeding drop-ins which we provide support at:

  • Christchurch Chineham Health Visitor clinic;
  • Snowdrops Children’s Centre in Overton and Whitchurch, alongside HV clinic;
  • Kingsclere Medical Practice alongside HV clinic;
  • Home Tree Children’s Centre in Tadley alongside HV clinic;
  • Spring Meadow Children’s Centre in Andover (alongside HV clinic on Tuesdays and a standalone session on Fridays); and
  • Brookvale Hall in Basingstoke (in partnership with the parenting charity NCT).

The breastfeeding drop-ins have been extremely successful and had an overwhelmingly positive impact on new mothers, their babies and breastfeeding rates

These drop-in services have been outstandingly successful. We have recently completed this year’s evaluation (report due out very soon) which demonstrates the extremely high value women place on the service and the huge impact it has had on their ability to establish and maintain breastfeeding.

  • 20% of all women who had babies in Andover or Basingstoke in the past year registered at one of our drop-ins;
  • 98% of the women who replied to our survey would recommend the drop-ins;
  • 93% of mothers reported that their breastfeeding issues were fully or partially resolved as a result of attending one of the drop-ins and 87% reported that their confidence in breastfeeding improved as a result of attending; and
  • at 6 weeks, 84% of these babies were exclusively breastfed, compared to 38.3% for North Hampshire CCG area (34.4% Wessex area) at this stage (2014-15 Q3).

We remain hopeful that a resolution will be found though there is nothing longer term or sustainable on the horizon at the moment.

For what it would cost to employ one mid-level health professional (midwife, health visitor or community nurse) these drop-ins could remain open on an ongoing basis.

Please do feel free to distribute this communication widely.

If you would like to contact one of the management team at Hampshire BFCs our contact details are below.

Regards

Sarah, Mindy and Fiona

Sarah Crowdy sarah@hampshirebfcs.co.uk 07736 235702

Mindy Noble mindy@hampshirebfcs.co.uk 07769 040509

Fiona Robertson fiona@hampshirebfcs.co.uk 07714 214100

Breastfeeding Counsellors and Management Team for Hamphire BFCs Ltd.

“Breastfeeding Welcome” places in North Hampshire – Feb 2015

I’ve noticed a lot of “breastfeeding friendly” signs in the area recently.

It’s so awesome to see these signs out and about.

I’ve been meaning to try to find more details about this for ages but I only stumbled on the website below because of something that someone else mentioned on another post.

Thank you very much to Fran and Sarah for inspiring this post after our discussion on the Cafe Project post I recently published and thank you for providing the link to the website below. 

“Breastfeeding Welcome” places in North Hampshire

If you are looking for details about breastfeeding in public in Basingstoke and Deane or are a business that would like to participate, check out the following website:

http://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/breastfeeding

Don’t miss out on future posts like this – you can receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also follow NorthHantsMum onTwitter,Facebook PageFacebook ProfileLinkedIn and Feedly. I hope to see you there!