Duchess of Cambridge visits FNP team in Southwark
FNP graduate Amina with daughter Ramira and Duchess of Cambridge
The Duchess of Cambridge visited the FNP team in Southwark today to highlight the valuable work of FNP teams across the country.
The Duchess met FNP graduates Amina, Chloe and Michael, with their children Ramira (3), Oliver (4) and Logan (22 months), to hear about how the programme has helped them. She also shadowed a family nurse on a visit with a current client and her baby.
“The Duchess was lovely and down to earth,” said Amina, “She was very interested in Ramira and asked lots of question about the practical support I received from FNP.”
Her Royal Highness also joined a roundtable discussion chaired by FNP National Unit Director Ailsa Swarbrick to find out more about the local delivery of FNP in Southwark and the development of FNP in England since 2007.
FNP Supervisor Kate Frith spoke about how young mums are referred to FNP and how nurses work with young mums and their children. Janet Powell, Director of Nursing at Evelina London, which provides FNP in Southwark and Lambeth, spoke about how FNP fits alongside other the other children’s community services it delivers. Meanwhile FNP National Unit Head of Clinical Quality Improvement Lynne Reed spoke about how the FNP National Unit supports good quality implementation of FNP across England.
Ailsa Swarbrick said: “It’s wonderful that the Duchess can shine a light on the importance of the first 1,000 days. She seemed really in tune with the work family nurses do to help support parent-child attachment and the importance of paying attention to the emotional needs of a baby, as well as their physical needs. We were able to share our work – and the work of family nurses in Southwark and around the country – to translate evidence into high quality practice that makes a real impact for young parents and their children, now and throughout their lives.”
