WEDNESDAY, 30 NOVEMBER, 2022

Photograph attached: Staff from the Family Nurse Partnership, Health Visiting Service, Midwifery and the Neonatal Unit attended the launch of ICON

ICON launches in NHS Tayside

NHS Tayside is the first health board in Scotland to launch ICON, a new programme which aims to raise awareness of infant crying and provide support to parents and carers.

ICON is a programme adopted by health and social care organisations in the UK to provide information to parents and carers about infant crying. It highlights some of the simple, safe measures that parents and carers can use to help them cope with the stress associated with a crying infant.

NHS Tayside’s Child Protection Service in collaboration with other NHS Tayside services, including the Women, Children & Families Division, and GPs, has joined up with ICON to bring this preventative programme to Tayside.

The evidence-based programme consists of a series of brief interventions that reinforce the simple message making up the ICON acronym:

I - Infant crying is normal and it will stop

C - Comfort methods can sometimes soothe the baby and the crying will stop

O - It is okay to walk away for a few minutes if you have checked the baby is safe and the crying is getting to you

N - Never ever shake or hurt a baby

The ICON programme consists of five points of contact following the birth of a baby, from post delivery to six to eight weeks. At each point of contact with parents and carers, health professionals such as a midwife, community midwife, Family Nurse, Health Visitor or GP will share the ICON message reinforced through the use of ICON resources.

The ICON programme will also be shared across wider NHS Tayside services and with multi-agency partners.

The ICON programme has been shown to help parents/carers understand infant crying and offer reassurance that crying is a normal part of development.

Most babies start to cry more frequently from two weeks of age, with a peak usually being seen around six to eight weeks.

Research suggests that some parents and carers can lose control when a baby’s crying becomes too much. Some may go on to shake a baby which can result in devastating consequences for the child. Abusive Head Trauma (AHT) also known as ‘Shaken Baby’ causes catastrophic brain injuries in babies, which can lead to death, or significant long-term health and learning disabilities.

Jayne Smith, Lead Nurse, NHS Tayside’s ICON Implementation Group, said, “The ICON programme is now launched and has been rolled out across Tayside through various healthcare teams, including midwifery teams, family nurses, health visitors and GPs.

“ICON recognises that babies crying can be very stressful for those looking after them and we want to do as much as we can to reduce this stress. NHS Tayside hopes that by sharing these vitally important messages and coping techniques with parents and carers, we are working towards reducing the risk of harm to babies and protecting them from AHT which is completely preventable.

“I would urge anyone who is struggling to cope and needs help, please don’t continue to struggle. Help is available from your midwife, health visitor, family nurse or GP.”

Supporting the launch of ICON in Tayside is ICON parent ambassador Laura. Laura’s baby survived shaken baby syndrome and as a parent ambassador, she wanted to highlight the importance of the programme and the support and information it provides.

She explained, “I would like to thank everyone involved in setting up the ICON programme in NHS Tayside. I hope that having this amazing proactive programme available to everyone will help prevent at least one baby from being shaken or at the very least, help families feel supported and know there are so many calm approaches you can take to calm your baby safely.

“My son is the reason I feel so passionate about this and for him, I will continue to shout about ICON every single day, in the hope that it helps at least one baby and their family.”

To support the launch of the ICON programme more information can be found on NHS Tayside’s ICON webpage which is full of useful resources for parents, carers and health professionals.

Contact:

Anna Michie

NHS Tayside Communications

(01382) 424138