Minister for Patient Safety Maria Caulfield has announced £3 million for the second phase of a programme to improve maternity safety.
The funding will support the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives and the THIS Institute to deliver the second phase of a programme to reduce brain injuries at birth, which can have a devastating impact on babies and their families.
The first phase, announced in July 2021 included nearly £2 million to develop tools and training to monitor and respond to a baby’s well-being during labour, and manage complications with babies’ positioning during caesarean sections. Over 500 healthcare professionals and over 140 women and birth partners were consulted as part of the first phase.
Nearly all healthcare professionals surveyed agreed there should be a national approach to monitoring babies during labour, adopted by all NHS trusts.
The RCOG will now develop a national programme to roll out tools and training products. It will also seek to address workplace culture factors, such as ensuring midwives and obstetricians are working together to deliver safe care.
This will include the development and testing of national tools to monitor and identify any deterioration in a baby’s health during childbirth. Due to be freely available to NHS trusts across the country next year, the tool will calculate the number of obstetricians at all grades required locally and nationally to provide a safe, personalised maternity service within the context of the wider workforce.
Caulfield said: “I want every mother and baby to get the best possible care and start to life and am committed to supporting our dedicated NHS staff to make positive changes, backed by over £5 million of investment.
“The second phase of this vital programme will help us improve maternity care and prevent mothers and babies from suffering the trauma of a brain injury during birth. I thank the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists for leading the work to roll out tools and training to support maternity teams to provide excellent care.”
