Scotland should examine whether a national service to co-ordinate the transfer of pregnant women who are in labour or close to giving birth should be established, a new report from NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) said today (Sunday).
The call to examine the feasibility of a national service forms part of a report into the number, circumstances and process used to transfer women from one maternity unit to another, known as an in-utero transfer (IUTs).The report finds that the vast majority of transfers are conducted in the right way, with decisions made by the appropriate clinician and transport organised in the correct fashion. There is concern, however, that some women were transferred to units other than the one closest to them, others were transferred between tertiary units and that the units themselves, were frequently unable to accept new admissions. A lack of staff may be leading to a lack of availability of staffed newborn intensive care cots in neonatal units.
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Note to Editors:
The study examined all IUTs occurring during the six month period, 21st August 2006 until 25th February 2007.
Forty-one units delivering infants in Scotland participated, including the 22 community maternity units which are central to the delivery of midwifery care in Scotland.
Data on all IUTs into and out of each participating unit were collected using questionnaires designed specifically for this study. Further information on the number of staffed neonatal cots available and day-to-day variations in occupancy was also collected from regional neonatal centres.
NHS QIS leads the use of knowledge to promote improvement in the quality of healthcare for the people of Scotland. We set standards of care, scrutinise and publish our findings on the performance of the NHS, provide advice and guidance on effective clinical practice, and, drive implementation of improvements in quality, including responsibility for patient safety and clinical governance across NHSScotland.
Contact: Colin McAllister on 07813 095930 or Stephen Ferguson on 07779 329689