The Early Years Healthy Development Review Report
A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days
The Early Years Healthy Development Review Report focuses on infants’ first 1,001 critical days, starting from pregnancy through to the age of two.
The report recognises the importance of infant feeding and supporting parents to build close and loving relationships with their infant to ensure the best start in life. The report also reflects the need for a skilled workforce to meet the changing needs of families, as well as the need for improved data collection, data evaluation and strong leadership to implement change and ensure local and national accountability.
In addition, the report reinforces the work of NHS England and NHS Improvement to implement the NHS Long Term Plan, which includes a requirement that all maternity services be accredited to UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative standards. There is a focus on excellent universal infant feeding support for all families, irrespective of feeding type, and feedback is provided from parents on the positive impact breastfeeding can have on confidence and self-esteem.
Click here to read the full report.
