Rose Alphonse, manager of Ealing Hospital Children's Centre and the trust's childcare co-ordinator, said, 'This opportunity reflects the excellent standard of childcare provided. It recognises the ongoing, rewarding work we do helping children and families.'
The nursery offers 60 childcare places, about two-thirds of which are taken up by trust staff who have priority, with remaining places open to the public.
Head of early years at Ealing council, Charles Barnard, was instrumental in the move towards children's centre status. He said, 'From under one roof families will drop children off at the nursery and access support - from conception to antenatal advice, meeting other families, obtaining information on child care, guidance in supporting children's learning, skills training and job opportunities.'
The staff's role of helping NHS Trust employees back to work is complemented by facilities for parents and families. Employing an early years teacher 'to provide education as well as care', starting drop-in sessions on childcare and changing the nursery staff room into a 'parent room' have contributed to a broader service.
'Before, our attention was just focused on the child and now we can look at the whole family,' said Ms Alphonse. 'We can signpost parents to things such as JobCentre Plus or our local childminding network. And it works well with a hospital nursery, because we're so well linked to the health service - this is the whole children's centre ethos.'