Raising Healthcare Standards

Contact Us | Glossary | Site Map | Links | Help | Accessibility | Low Graphics |  Text Size: A |  A+ |  A++

Advanced Search

main navigation: 
"Consistently good healthcare which continually improves is our aim."

Scotland's Maternity Services Standard 5 - Postnatal and parenthood

Local initiatives for postnatal and parenthood have been collected from the following local areas: 

< Access Local Initiatives for all 5 Standards

NHS Argyll and Clyde

  1. A group of local women who have had experience of breastfeeding have prepared a leaflet, Out & About With Your Baby, which gives quality and privacy ratings for premises where breastfeeding can take place and where baby changing facilities are available. The leaflet also indicates whether there is room for toddlers and a buggy, and whether it is acceptable for ‘dads’ to use the facilities. National breastfeeding helplines and local support group contacts are also included.
For more information contact:
C.A Harkins, Lead Midwife
Clyde Division, Maternity Unit
Royal Alexandra Hospital Paisley, PA2 9PN
Tel: 0141 314 6682, Email: cathy.harkins@rah.scot.nhs.uk

NHS Ayrshire and Arran

  1. NHS Ayrshire and Arran provides postnatal women with an information leaflet outlining the Board’s sexual and reproductive healthcare service. The leaflet includes a section on family planning and provides details (venues, dates and times) of all the family planning clinics throughout the NHS Board area.

  2. NHS Ayrshire and Arran provides a programme of breastfeeding education to obstetric and paediatric senior house officers and reported a 100% attendance rate. The review team commended this initiative, in particular, as it is normally this staff group who are responsible out-of-hours for any baby admitted to the unit due to inadequate nutrition.
For more information contact:
Sarah Crawford, Lead Clinical Effectiveness Facilitator
Tel: 01563 825 878, Email: sarah.crawford@aapct.scot.nhs.uk

NHS Borders

  1. NHS Borders has developed a parenting observation tool in addition to general observations noted in casenotes for parents where additional support and intervention is considered helpful. The tool helps staff to formally assess how parents are managing with their newborn baby and identifies areas where the additional support and intervention is needed.

  2. In addition to ensuring that all newborn babies are delivered in a warm room, dried quickly with heated towels and have parental ‘skin to skin’ contact, Borders General Hospital labour ward also has a ‘heated cot’ for any baby requiring rewarming. The review team highlighted the good practice in place and acknowledged the achievement of no babies being admitted to SCBU for re-warming.
For more information contact:
Elaine Cockburn, Head of Midwifery Ann Forrest, Midwife
Tel: 01896 826733, Tel: 01896 826898,
Email:elaine.cockburn@borders.scot.nhs.uk or Email: ann.forrest@borders.scot.nhs.uk

NHS Fife

  1. NHS Fife has a dedicated family planning nurse who provides information on family planning in the postnatal wards on a daily basis. Both mothers and fathers are offered contraceptive advice at the woman’s bedside.
For more information contact:
Catherine Cummings, Clinical Midwifery Nurse Manager
Forth Park Hospital, 30 Bennochy Road, Kirkcaldy, KY2 5RA
Tel: 01592 643355, Email:catherine.cummings@faht.scot.nhs.uk

NHS Forth Valley

  1. NHS Forth Valley uses a colour-coded chart to monitor a woman’s observations during the antenatal and postnatal period which highlight the need for early medical intervention if a woman’s chart indicates more than one red or two yellow scores at any one time.
For more information contact:
Gillian Morton, General Manager, Women And Children
Tel: 01324 624000 x 5004, Email: gillian.morton@fvah.scot.nhs.uk

NHS Grampian

  1. Within Aberdeen Maternity Hospital there is a breastfeeding centre that provides mothers with practical advice and information about breastfeeding. The centre is staffed by infant feeding support midwives and is accessible on weekday mornings (subject to staff availability) to all women living in the NHS Grampian area. Women can self-refer or be referred by a healthcare professional for ongoing encouragement, reassurance and support with breastfeeding problems experienced following discharge from hospital. Advice is also available on maintenance of milk expression if a baby is in the neonatal unit, baby weight-gain and breast infections. The centre provides information, and is a learning resource, for all healthcare professionals with an interest in breastfeeding.
For more information contact:
Joan Milne, Nurse Manager
Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology Unit
Aberdeen Maternity Hospital
Tel: 01224 554903, Email: Joan.milne@arh.grampian.scot.nhs.uk

NHS Greater Glasgow

  1. As part of the discharge procedure, premature, low birth weight and at risk term infants are assessed for their ability to sit in a car seat for 60 minutes without evidence of respiratory difficulties (the car seat challenge). A car seat challenge flow sheet has been designed and printed for use at The Queen Mother’s Hospital, Glasgow.
     

For more information contact:
Alison Miller, Clinical Governance Co-ordinator
Tel: 0141 201 0702, Email: Alison.miller@yorkhill.scot.nhs.uk

back to top ^

NHS Lanarkshire

  1. The Community Mothers Breastfeeding Support Project was established as an initiative to increase the number of children being breastfed in the North Lanarkshire area. The project provides peer support to breastfeeding mothers in both the community and the hospital. Support is provided on a volunteer basis by local women who have completed a breastfeeding training programme after successfully breastfeeding their own children.

For more information contact:
Evelyn Forrest, Acting Service Manager
Women’s Services
Wishaw General Hospital, 50 Netherton Street, Wishaw, ML2 0DP
Tel: 01698 366354, (Switchboard 01698 361100), Evelyn.Forrest@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk

back to top ^

NHS Lothian

  1. There is a jaundice and weight loss clinic at SCRH. This clinic is for babies whose conditions are too urgent to be dealt with through a routine outpatient appointment. Referrals are made on a Monday–Friday basis between 8am–6pm by bleeping a neonatal special care registrar. Weekend and out-of-hours cover is provided by a neonatal intensive care registrar.
For more information contact:
Maria Wilson, Chief Midwife, NHS Lothian,
Tel: 0131 242 2543, Email: maria.wilson@luht.scot.nhs.uk

NHS Orkney

  1. NHS Orkney has recently introduced a drop-in clinic which provides a peer support session on a weekly basis for women who are breastfeeding. These sessions promote and support breastfeeding mothers in Orkney by increasing their knowledge and promoting confidence in the practice and values of breastfeeding. This information is provided by direct contact with other experienced breastfeeding mothers.
For more information contact:
Michelle Mackie, Team Lead, Maternity Services
Tel: 01856 888002, Email:michelle.mackie@orkneyhb.scot.nhs.uk

NHS Shetland

  1. Women who breastfeed their babies are encouraged to use the facilities in the Gilbert Bain Hospital Maternity Unit anytime they are in Lerwick, eg shopping etc. New mothers are also encouraged to visit the unit’s information resource facilities.
For more information contact:
Teresa Chivers, Senior Clinical Midwife
Tel: 01595 743012

NHS Tayside

  1. In February 2004, NHS Tayside conducted a pilot study which considered the feasibility, acceptability and satisfaction of telephone peer support by experienced breastfeeding mothers to enhance the confidence of breastfeeding mothers in order to increase and sustain the duration of breastfeeding in areas of low uptake. The results of the project have been used to inform further research and planning for breastfeeding support to be considered to allow women and babies to gain the health benefits, enjoy the positive experiences of breastfeeding, and to share this knowledge with friends and relatives.
For more information contact:
Ms Kay Forsyth, Acting Head of Midwifery
Antenatal Clinic, Level 7
Ninewells Hospital, Dundee DD1 9SY
Tel: 01382 632107, Email: kay.forsyth@nhs.net
back to top ^

NHS Western Isles

  1. The Board reported that there is a midwife-led breastfeeding support group held at the Western Isles Hospital and that an additional support group is currently being established by health visitors. The review team commended the excellent breastfeeding rates achieved in NHS Western Isles.
For more information contact:
Catherine MacDonald, Senior Midwife
Western Isles Hospital
MacAulay Road, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, HS1 2AF
Tel: 01851 404704
back to top ^