HUNNITOTS Day Care Nursery, the on-site creche at Ipswich Hospital, has been praised by Minister for Women Barbara Roche.Ms Roche hailed it as a shining example of how best to support busy working parents and help them to balance their work and family responsibilities in a new government report Better Services Better Working Lives.

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HUNNITOTS Day Care Nursery, the on-site creche at Ipswich Hospital, has been praised by Minister for Women Barbara Roche.

Ms Roche hailed it as a shining example of how best to support busy working parents and help them to balance their work and family responsibilities in a new government report Better Services Better Working Lives.

The hospital's lead Accident and Emergency nurse and busy mum of two Sally Calderhead, and director of personnel Jennifer Jones met Cherie Blair and Barbara Roche for tea at 10 Downing Street.

They were part of a group of women who had contributed to the Better Working Lives report – which tells how health and education services are delivering for women.

Sally said the excellent care Hunnitots offers her two children means she can continue working in the hospital's A&E department.

Women are the biggest users and providers of health and education services, and they say the Government is on the right track in defending on its top priority, the reform of public services according to today's report.

Although over three quarters of NHS staff and two thirds of teachers are women, the provision of health and education services is structured along the model of mothers staying at home, which is no longer true for most families. It is also more likely to be women who drop their children off at school and take them to the doctors.

Barbara Roche said: "Women from Ipswich and across the UK are an important barometer of how well we are delivering for everyone. They are the biggest users and providers of health and education services and are well placed to tell us what we need to, and in many cases are already delivering.

"Government measures like the NHS Plan, the National Childcare Strategy and the Education Bill, which is now before Parliament, will ensure we continue to address these key concerns and help women to balance work and family.

"This report offers inspiring examples of how teachers, nurses and doctors are meeting needs at local level and are committed to extending this good practice up and down the country."

Sally Calderhead said: "As both a mother and a manager the nursery has been invaluable to me. It's not an easy decision what to do for the best when you become a mother. What you want is peace of mind by having access to high quality childcare services where you know your child is safe, and which also offers flexibility."

Ipswich Hospital has asked the borough council for planning permission to extend the Hunnitots day nursery in order to provide a new toddlers room and toilet facilities.

An application for planning permission has been formally submitted to Ipswich Borough Council.