Bliss exists for every baby born premature or sick in the UK to have the best chance of survival and quality of life.
We recognise that right now, vulnerable babies from a racially minoritised background, or from poorer backgrounds, are disproportionately affected by health inequality which has a direct impact on babies' health and outcomes in neonatal care.
In our strategy, we are committed to taking a bolder approach in using the lens of health inequality to identify and address how we can make the biggest difference for all babies born premature or sick. Here are the ways we will make this vision a reality.
Giving babies the best start in life
Babies have the best outcomes when their parents are able to be actively involved in their care. There are many barriers that can prevent parents from being by their babies’ side as much as they would like.
Bliss will develop greater insights into the health inequalities within neonatal care, working with external partners to make best use of evidence to drive policy change where needed and to help break down the barriers which prevent parents being involved in their babies’ care.
Ensuring families have the support they need
Bliss believes that everyone should have access to the care, resources and support that meets their individual needs.
We will undertake further work to understand more about neonatal care delivery, outcomes, and parent experiences across different groups of babies and families, and use this insight to inform work to address inequalities identified.
We will also focus on recruiting volunteers who have faced health inequalities, and whose experiences and background reflect the local populations they work with to support more parents in ways which understand and reflect their needs. For example, this will include recruiting volunteers who speak languages other than English.
Developing an inclusive internal culture
Bliss will develop a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace and community, and to do so through employing accessible recruitment approaches, and also by valuing, celebrating and embracing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).
Our aim is to have an environment that respects and values difference, where everyone feels welcomed and confident to be completely themselves, and comfortable in driving the changes needed to better support all babies, and their families, who have a neonatal experience.
As well as having accessibility provisions at the interview and recruitment stage, we will employ recruitment practices that are inclusive and promote diversity in order to build an inclusive group of people working towards a shared vision.
This will better help us to understand the wide perspectives that more accurately reflect the neonatal community we serve, and allow us to respond to their unique needs more appropriately and effectively.
Holding ourselves accountable
Bliss complies with the Equality Act 2010 and understands our duties under the Act and the protected characteristics detailed within it. We seek to fulfil these legal obligations, and to go beyond them, by ensuring that our policies and practices reflect the principles laid down in this statement.
The Trustee Board has overall responsibility for ensuring we operate within the statutory requirements of the Equality Act. The CEO and the Senior Management Team have overall management responsibility.
We will also partner with other external organisations to share best practice, learn and benchmark with others.