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13/11/2015

Govt Plans To Halve Stillbirth Rate

New plans to halve the rate of stillbirths and infant deaths in the UK have been unveiled by the Government.

In a statement released today, Friday 13 November, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he aimed to reduce the rate of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths in England by 50% by 2030. In addition, the number of brain injuries occurring during – or soon after – birth will also be targeted as part of the proposals, which have been drawn up in partnership with consultants, midwives and other experts.

Maternity services will be asked to suggest initiatives that could be more widely adopted across England as part of a national approach; for example, appointing maternity safety champions to report to the board and ensuring staff have the right training to enable them to identify the risks and symptoms of perinatal mental health.

As part of the commitment, Trusts will receive a share of more than £4m of government investment to purchase high-tech digital equipment and to provide training for staff to continue improving outcomes for mums and babies.

The investment includes a £2.24m fund to help trusts buy monitoring or training equipment to improve safety – such as cardiotocography (CTG) equipment to monitor babies' heartbeat and quickly detect problems – or training mannequins that staff can practise emergency procedures on.

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A further £500,000 will be invested in developing a new system for staff to review and learn from every stillbirth and neonatal death. Once established, the new safety investigation unit will also be asked to consider a particular focus on maternity cases for its first year.

Over £1m will be invested in rolling out training packages developed in agreement with the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), to ensure staff have the skills and confidence needed to deliver safe care.

Commenting on the announcement, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, said: "The NHS is already a safe place to give birth, but the death or injury of even one new baby or mum is a devastating tragedy which we must do all we can to prevent.

"With more support and greater transparency in maternity services across England we will ensure every mother and baby receives the best and safest care, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – this is at the heart of the NHS values we are backing with funding from a strong economy."

Dr David Richmond, President of the RCOG, added: "We support this initiative and our important role in it as leaders of the profession. Good progress has been made but the fact is many of these incidents could be avoided with improvements to the care women and their babies receive.

"The RCOG will continue to work closely with our clinical colleagues and the Royal College of Midwives to provide better multi-disciplinary training packages and promote more effective team working, so that this aspect of care can be improved.

"The challenges of reducing health problems and deaths in mothers and babies due to contributory factors such as smoking, obesity and alcohol also require similar commitment."

Cathy Warwick, Chief Executive, RCM, commented: "This is an important initiative. It is crucial that all of us involved in maternity care work to reduce tragic outcomes. Much excellent work is already going on in this respect.

"The RCM is looking forward to working with the RCOG, policy makers and midwives to support hardworking multidisciplinary teams to achieve even more progress. As we do this we also need to ensure that contributory factors to poor outcomes, such as social exclusion and poverty are addressed."

(JP/LM)

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"New plans to halve the rate of stillbirths and infant deaths in the UK have been unveiled by the Government."