Maternity safety funding

Published on: 28/04/2016

The government has announced that over 90 trusts across England have been awarded a share of more than £2m funding to invest in new maternity safety equipment.

They have received funding to spend on kit, including new ultrasound machines and mother and baby monitoring equipment, so any problems can be detected and addressed earlier.

This investment is part of the government’s campaign to halve the number of stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth by 2030.

Louise Silverton, RCM director for midwifery, said: ‘Safety should be everyone’s number one priority so this investment in additional equipment is welcome.

‘Linked to this is the need for staff to attend appropriate and regular training. All steps must be taken to ensure that staff can be released from their clinical commitments.

‘It is also critical that best practice is used across the service and I urge trusts to share their experiences and to learn from each other.

‘While we do have a very low rate of stillbirths, neonatal deaths and maternal deaths in the UK, there is unacceptable variation between trusts and we must continue to strive to reduce the rates even further.’

Health minister Ben Gummer said: ‘It is my ambition to ensure the NHS is one of the safest places in the world to have a baby.

‘Our staff do an excellent job providing high quality care but it is vital that they have the right equipment to continue to do this, that’s why I am really pleased that so many trusts will benefit from this fund.’

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