Responsibility Deal: Diageo to fund midwife training

Published: 13 June, 2011

Diageo is to fund a training programme for midwives to help educate expectant mothers about the risks of alcohol to their unborn child, as part of the Responsibility Deal.

Diageo is to fund a training programme for midwives to help educate expectant mothers about the risks of alcohol to their unborn child, as part of the Responsibility Deal.

The training programme will be run by the National Organisation for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and will reach an estimated 10,000 midwives and inform at least one million pregnant women over the next three years.

This new pledge by Diageo will roll out more widely the successful training that has been delivered across five cities over the last two years and will provide additional training and resources for midwives.

Public Health Minister Anne Milton said: "Midwives are one of the most trusted sources of information and advice for pregnant women. This pledge is a great example of how business can work with NHS staff to provide women with valuable information.
"This will help over a million women over the next three years to make an informed decision about drinking during their pregnancy. It will potentially improve their health and also give their baby the best start in life."

Simon Litherland, managing director, Diageo Great Britain, said: "This pledge is something Diageo feels passionately about. Educating midwives and mothers about the issues that can arise when drinking alcohol when pregnant or trying to conceive is hugely important as it will potentially save many babies from being born with foetal alcohol syndrome."

Printer friendly version