25 January 2007
REPORT FINDS MATERNITY SERVICES DELIVERING HIGH QUALITY CARE
SCOTLAND SETS STANDARD FOR CARE OF MOTHERS AND BABIES
Maternity services in Scotland are delivering high quality care before, during and after pregnancy, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) said today (Thursday) as it published the results of the first ever review of performance against national standards for maternity services.
Scotland is the only country in the world that has set standards for maternity services and then measured exactly how well we are performing against them. We are also the only country that is implementing a unified women’s maternity record, bringing all the information needed to keep a pregnancy safe together in one package.
NHS QIS has now completed the review of performance against the five standards, developed in wide consultation with health professionals, women and mothers, covering before, during and after pregnancy. Today’s report found that:
- before pregnancy, women with complex medical histories have access to services and advice to help them conceive,
- during early pregnancy, women who experience complications receive specialist assessment, care and support,
- during pregnancy, women have access to screening and antenatal diagnostic treatment,
- during childbirth, women receive one-to-one midwifery care; have access to appropriate pain management, including epidural analgesia; and, are closely involved in planning their own care,
- there is a need to ensure all non-specialist anaesthetists who cover obstetrics receive regular training updates,
- following pregnancy, there are good arrangements for discharge, including ongoing assessment for complications and support for successful breastfeeding,
- in planning and managing services, NHS boards have clear lines of responsibility and accountability, and are at the forefront of developing systems to ensure risk is minimised,
- priority must be given to improving strategic planning and providing a vision for the future of each maternity service, and
- the roll out of women’s unified maternity record is underway.
Commenting on the report, NHS QIS chairman, Sir Graham Teasdale, said:
“Over 50,000 babies are born in Scotland each year and maternity services have to be able to respond to the needs of every woman before, during and after pregnancy.
“Many women are now waiting longer to have their first baby, and medical and technological advances mean that women with complex health problems can now be helped to become pregnant and give birth. The challenge is to meet women’s changing needs by delivering the right care, by the right person, at the right time.
“To meet that challenge, Scotland is the only country in the world that has set standards for maternity services and then measured exactly how well we are performing against them. We are also the only country that is implementing a unified women’s maternity record, bringing all the information needed to keep a pregnancy safe together in one package.
“Our report has now revealed the high quality of care that Scotland’s maternity services are delivering. Among their key strengths are services to help women with a complex medical background to conceive, strong screening and diagnosis services, appropriate pain management during childbirth, and support for mothers with complications.
“Our work, however, does not stop here. In everything NHS QIS does, we are constantly looking for further improvement and so we have identified that improved strategic planning should be a priority and we will soon review performance against the standards for pregnancy and newborn screening.
“The result of Scotland’s unique approach is that we are at the international forefront of improving maternity care. The challenge now is to keep on improving. Women can have confidence that they and their babies are in good hands.”
Editors Note:
- At the time of conducting the reviews there were 15 NHS boards. That number has since fallen to 14 with the abolition of NHS Argyll & Clyde.
- Clinical Standards for Maternity Services were published in March 2005 and Clinical Standards for Pregnancy and Newborn Screening in October 2005.
- NHS QIS has been established to lead in improving the quality of care and treatment delivered by NHSScotland. To do this it sets standards and monitors performance, and provides NHS Scotland with advice, guidance and support on effective clinical practice and service improvements.
- Copies of today’s report, together with a summary of our findings and individual reports on the performance of each NHS board, are available from www.nhshealthquality.org
Media Contact: Colin McAllister on 07813 095930