Maternity Services Monthly Statistics, January 2022, experimental statistics

In 2016, the Maternity Transformation Programme, led by NHS England, published 'Better Births' which set out the following vision:

'...for maternity services in England to become safer, more personalised, kind, professional and more family friendly; where every woman has access to information to enable her to make decisions about her care; and where she and her baby can access support that is centered on their individual needs and circumstances.'

The programme covers a number of specific policy areas for review, some of which are detailed below on this page.

Further information about the Maternity Transformation Programme is available here:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/mat-transformation/

Continuity of carer means that women receive care from the same midwife or small team of midwives throughout antenatal care, labour and birth, and the postnatal period. Evidence suggests that there is a link between continuity of carer and improved outcomes for women and their babies. It is also fundamentally important to personalisation as it enables a woman to build a longer term relationship of mutual trust and respect with her midwife, who can support her to make informed decisions.

Where a Continuity of Carer pathway has been agreed, this should be recorded and submitted via the MSDS.

Data by organisation on the following can be found in the measures file available for download:

• Number of women placed on a Continuity of Carer pathway by 29 weeks gestation
  • Plus two new data quality tests, both of which providers must score more than 5%  for to have their data included in the figures for women placed on a Continuity of Carer pathway.
• Number of women in ongoing receipt of Continuity of Carer
  • Plus four new data quality tests, all of which providers must score more than 5%  for to have their data included in the figures for women in ongoing receipt of Continuity of Carer.

Filtered data looking at the breakdown of women by ethnicity and by their home’s index of multiple deprivation, has been published alongside the two main metrics.

Statistics on Continuity of Carer have been published to provide data submitters and users with insight into the quality and completeness of their data. Due to variations in data quality and completeness, these statistics may not accurately reflect the true number of women placed on a Continuity of Carer pathway at this early stage of development.

The Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle provides detailed information for providers and commissioners of maternity care on how to reduce perinatal mortality across England, and is contributing towards the aim of the national safety ambition to reduce stillbirth, maternal mortality, neonatal mortality and serious brain injury by 50% by 2025, as well as a reduction in preterm birth rate, from 8% to 6%.

The Care Bundle brings together five elements of care based on evidence and best practice:

• Reducing smoking in pregnancy
• Risk assessment, prevention and surveillance of pregnancies at risk of fetal growth restriction (FGR)
• Raising awareness of reduced fetal movement (RFM)
• Effective fetal monitoring during labour
• Reducing preterm birth

Some elements of the Care Bundle are captured by MSDS as part of routine care in maternity services.

More information can be found at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/saving-babies-lives-version-two-a-care-bundle-for-reducing-perinatal-mortality/

The Care Bundle’s five elements are supported by a series of process and outcome indicators. Where possible using MSDS, these indicators will be reported as part of this statistical series and will be released as soon as they are developed. The first set of indicators were published in the April 2021 (January 2021 data) release.

Local Maternity Systems have been asked to make sure that all women are able to draw up their own Personalised Care and Support Plan, underpinned by support from their midwife, including an open, but tailored conversation about the choices available. This should be owned by the woman, record her choices and provide a summary of conversations she has had with her midwife about her choices. It remains a live document throughout pregnancy, labour and childbirth and the postnatal period, and must be reviewed on every contact to ensure that it reflects the latest information about the woman’s care needs, as well as enabling her to change her decisions at any point.

Where a Personalised Care and Support Plan has been agreed, this should be recorded and submitted via the MSDS.