Postnatal ward is first to be crowned with a ‘diamond’

The Postnatal Ward, within Women & Children’s services at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), has become the first ward to be crowned with a ‘diamond’.

Outstanding care, safety and kindness, leadership, cleanliness, exceeding targets and many other achievements, mean that the staff on the ward are the first in the Trust to win the coveted Exemplar Ward Diamond status – the highest possible.

The Exemplar Ward scheme is part of the Trust’s vision to provide the safest and kindest care in the NHS. To achieve Exemplar Ward status, the team on a ward must meet high standards in a number of key areas from caring, medicine management, leadership, nutrition and hydration to cleanliness, safety and record-keeping.

There are three levels of award – silver, gold and diamond. Diamond is the highest and means that the Postnatal Ward, situated in the Shropshire Women and Children’s Centre at Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, demonstrates the very highest standards, which is great news for new mums and their families using the ward.

Annette Barton, Postnatal Ward Manager, said: “I am very proud of the whole team whose commitment to our women and their families is second to none. We are absolutely thrilled to achieve Diamond status, which is testament to the hard work put in by each and every member of staff who works on the ward. They are all diamonds in my eyes.”

Sarah Jamieson, Head of Midwifery at SaTH, said: “This is a wonderful achievement by a fantastic team who always go above and beyond. They have all worked incredibly hard, and becoming the first in the Trust to achieve diamond makes them an inspiration to others. The patient experience is at the very heart of Exemplar, so this is fantastic news for our new mums.”

Simon Wright, Chief Executive, said: “The Postnatal ward is a fantastic example of what a ward environment should be like – and will be of great benefit to our new mums and their babies. I am incredibly proud of the Postnatal team, it is a fantastic achievement by all of them.”