NHS maternity staff in England will take part in a new pilot
programme to help reduce avoidable brain injuries in childbirth,
the government has announced.
The Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth (ABC) pilot is launching
today (7 October 2024) across nine maternity units at NHS trusts
and aims to improve maternity outcomes for women and babies.
The programme will help maternity staff to better identify signs
that the baby is showing distress during labour so they can act
quickly. It will also help staff deal with an important obstetric
emergencies that occur where the baby's head becomes lodged deep
in the mother's pelvis during a Caesarean birth.
The ABC programme aims to improve clinical practice,
communication and care for women and families and result in
better outcomes and experiences, while reducing variation and
inequality of care.
The most recent
data shows around 2,490 babies received at least one episode
of care for a brain injury during or after birth (in 2021)
equating to 4.2 per 1,000 live births.
The programme could be rolled out nationally next year if the
pilot is successful.
Baroness , Minister for Patient
Safety, Women's Health and Mental Health, said:
This is a critical step toward avoiding preventable brain
injuries in babies, as we work to make sure all women and babies
receive safe, personalised and compassionate care.
This government is working with the NHS to urgently improve
maternity care, giving staff the support they need to improve
safety and ensure women's voices are properly heard.
The scheme is also expected to reduce the rising cost of clinical
negligence. At present, maternity cases account for around 10% of
clinical negligence claims and equate to more than 50% of the
total value of clinical negligence payments. In 2018/2019,
claims related to brain damage at birth had a value of £1.86
billion, with individual cases costing up to £30m.
So far, the Department for Health and Social Care has contributed
£7.8 million to the ‘Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth' (ABC)
consortium, which consists of The Royal College of Obstetrics and
Gynaecologists, Royal College of Midwives and The Healthcare
Improvement Studies (THIS) Institute.
Dr Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said:
The ABC Programme will help maternity teams to improve safety by
giving them the tools, resources and training they need to
respond effectively when a baby might be deteriorating during
labour and to handle a major obstetric emergency. Including
support for teamwork and culture, ABC makes best practice easier
and puts those in labour and their birth partners at the centre
of their care.
Donald Peebles, NHS national clinical director for maternity
said:
We welcome the opportunity to further enhance the skills of NHS
staff so they can provide the best possible care for women and
babies.
The NHS is already making progress on reducing rates of brain
injuries in childbirth and we look forward to continuing this
work with Royal Colleges and other partners as part of our
commitment to improving services.
Professor Mary Dixon-Woods, Director of The Healthcare
Improvement Studies Institute, said:
Any effort to improve care must put families at the centre. The
ABC programme has been developed in partnership with women,
birthing people and their birth partners and reflects the
importance of listening, inclusion, and respect as part of
keeping those in labour and their babies safe.
Gill Walton, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives
(RCM) said:
Improving the safety of maternity services by supporting staff is
a priority for the RCM and something we are absolutely committed
to working in partnership to achieve. Any event of avoidable
brain injury is devastating for the mother, for the families and
for all the staff involved. Improving multidisciplinary training
is key to improving pregnancy outcomes, equally sharing good
practice, and learning from mistakes is crucial. We are confident
that the ABC tools and training will equip maternity staff at
these pilot sites with the skills they need to ensure best
outcomes for both mother and baby.
Background
The selected sites that are participating in the pilot of
impacted fetal head during caesarean birth are:
- Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
- Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust
- Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
The selected sites that are participating in the pilot of
detection and response to fetal deterioration
are:
- Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
- Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
- St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
