Due to be carried out by the end of this year, the ABC review aims to develop a nationally agreed approach for how staff monitor the condition of a baby during labour by various methods…reports Asian Lite News.
The UK maternity safety minister Nadine Dorries will announce £2.45 million in funding which will benefit NHS maternity staff and improve the safety of the women and babies they care for.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is awarding the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) almost £2 million to lead the first phase of the Avoiding Brain injuries in Childbirth (ABC) Collaboration.
This funding will be used to survey maternity staff and parents and test out best practices for monitoring and responding to a baby’s wellbeing during labour. It will also focus on managing complications with a baby’s positioning during caesarean section to reduce brain injuries.
“This new programme, which we’re supporting with over £2.45 million, aims to spot warning signs earlier and save lives, preventing families and their babies from facing the horrific ordeal of a life-changing brain injury. It will help us deliver on our ambition to halve brain injuries during birth by 2025,” Maternity safety minister Nadine Dorries has said.
“Having the right maternity staff in the right place at the right time means they can learn from one another, give the best care for mums and babies and build a safe and positive environment for both staff and pregnant women in maternity teams across the country,” she added.
Due to be carried out by the end of this year, the ABC review aims to develop a nationally agreed approach for how staff monitor the condition of a baby during labour by various methods.
The review will be carried out through a partnership with the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), the Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute at the University of Cambridge and the RCOG.
The 3 organizations will agree on the best clinical practice for managing deteriorating conditions of babies during labor and test how this could be rolled out across maternity services in England in the future.
The DHSC has also provided almost £450,000 to the RCOG to develop a new workforce planning tool to improve how maternity units calculate their medical staffing requirements, to better support families and babies.