30th September 2009
Mid Essex team chosen to help improve maternity care
The top performing maternity team at Mid Essex Hospitals have been chosen to become part of a major new initiative to support frontline professionals to improve the safety of maternity care.
The Safer Births network aims to improve the outcomes of care during labour and birth for women and babies. Maternity professionals from Mid Essex Hospitals will build on their existing local initiatives aimed at providing safe services to mothers and babies by delivering systematic approaches to ensuring safety. They will be part of a network of units that will employ practices proven to improve safety, and then share their learning with other maternity services throughout England. The network is part of a partnership of organisations that is supporting frontline professionals to improve the safety of maternity care.
Alison Cuthbertson, Head of Midwifery at Mid Essex Hospitals, said:” We are delighted to have been selected be part of the King’s Fund safer births initiative. This is a unique opportunity for us to receive national, targeted support to further improve one of the best maternity services in the country. We will be able to share our good practice with colleagues around the UK, whilst learning from them at the same time. The safety of our mothers and babies is the most important thing and we are always looking for ways to make improvements to the service we provide for them.”
The Mid Essex team was one of 12 chosen from a total of 50 maternity units that applied to join the network, and all underwent a rigorous selection process. Over the next 18 months each team will benefit from customised support to develop and implement plans designed to create systems that ensure they consistently deliver the safest possible care during labour to mothers and their babies.
Cathy Warwick, General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: ‘We welcome and support this ground-breaking initiative and unique partnership of organisations supporting frontline NHS staff to improve the safety of maternity care. Improving teamwork, communication and pioneering a multi-disciplinary approach to maternity teams will be an integral part of helping maternity units implement the government’s choice guarantees for maternity care, which come into place at the end of this year.
Notes to editors:
The safer births initiative is a partnership between the King’s Fund, Royal college of Midwives, Royal college of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Centre for Maternal and Child Enquires, NSH Litigation authority and the National Patient Safety Agency. It aims to improve the safety of maternity services by supporting frontline professionals.
ENDS
Media contact : Jo Triggs tel: (01245) 514235 | Mobile : 0790 005 4948
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