Information on Loughborough

Improving care for women

Posted on 03/12/2007
P. Klein

new born baby

A group of key stakeholders including clinical experts in maternity services has established a set of priorities to improve services over the next 10 years as part of the Our NHS Our Future Next Stage Review.

The birth rate for the UK is rising and local maternity services are the second biggest in the country and approximately 14,000 women accessing community midwifery services in Leicestershire and Rutland.

The team will examine what happens to women at each stage of their care and define the ideal pathways, looking at what areas work well and what areas need improvement, find gaps in services and compare local care with national and international evidence of best practice to create consistent high quality and safe care.

This will mean improving access to services for all mothers, encouraging informed choice and identifying gaps in training and resources and ensuring services meet all national standards.

Maternity care is one of eight key themes of the Our NHS Our Future national review aimed at improving quality, improving access and improving health and wellbeing for all. Under the review local NHS organisations have established an expert group who have identified the local priorities:

  • Preconceptual " Develop care pathways and consider specialist care for women with medical problems and family genetic problems.
  • Antenatal care " most of antenatal care is already provided in the community with well-established care pathways. The model of care will be reviewed and develop a collaborative approach to care closer to home.
  • Intrapartum (labour) " Most births will continue to be delivered within a hospital setting. Look at staffing issues for midwives and obstetricians.
  • Postnatal care " breastfeeding, maternal mental health, social network, integration of public health and core pathways with 24 hour access.
  • Neonatal care - the group will consider neonatal health problems after discharge and the development of care pathway and postnatal care in hospital

 

It comes after an independent survey by the Healthcare Commission gave Leicestershire and Rutlands maternity services the thumbs up. Overall, a higher percentage of mums rated Leicesters hospitals as excellent, very good or good compared to the national average.

755 women were surveyed after giving birth in one of Leicesters hospitals between January and February 2007. Over 400 women responded.

The results have helped concentrate efforts on three key priorities:

  • Antenatal class provision
  • Choice
  • Access to a midwife when first pregnant

Their work will compare local services and look for best practice both nationally and internationally and feed into the development of a national vision to transform NHS services over the next 10 years.