Each Baby Counts: Learn and Support' receives £1.7 million to improve maternity care

on 30 November 2018 Maternity Services

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) are launching a new programme to enable local maternity teams to roll out national recommendations to improve the care of mothers and babies.

‘Each Baby Counts: Learn and Support’ is a three-year partnership between the RCOG and RCM, supported and funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, that will work with a number of local maternity units to support multi-professional learning and clinical leadership, improve joint working and drive innovation from within the NHS.

‘Each Baby Counts Learn & Support’ will build on the learning from previous collaborative initiatives to improve maternity safety, such as the Labour Ward Leaders and Each Baby Counts programmes.

The latest report from the Each Baby Counts clinical improvement programme, published on Tuesday 13 November, shows that multiple contributory factors were behind poor outcomes in care for mothers and babies. The Each Baby Counts Learn & Support programme is the next step in learning for maternity care and will take forward recommendations to support making the UK the safest place to give birth.

Gill Walton, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said:
 
“The RCM is pleased to be part of this exciting new programme. I believe that together we can build on the trust and buy-in we already have from frontline clinical staff for initiatives by providing them with the support they need to translate lessons learned into improvements in everyday care.”

Professor Lesley Regan, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, added:
 
“I am delighted to announce this innovative programme which will empower healthcare staff on the frontline to learn locally, and place women, their babies and families at the heart of improvements. We will continue to build on the progress we have made in understanding where maternity services need to improve.”

Minister for Health, Jackie Doyle-Price, commented:
 
“We want to make the NHS one of the safest places in the world to give birth by halving rates of stillbirths, neonatal deaths and brain injuries by 2025. We have already made excellent progress on this ambition but there is more to do, so I am delighted the Department can fund this vital work that will support learning and improve best practice in maternity care right across the NHS.”

ENDS

 

Notes to editors

 
For media enquiries, please contact the RCOG press office on 020 7772 6773 or email pressoffice@rcog.org.uk
 
Latest Each Baby Counts report including key findings and recommendations: https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/news/latest-each-baby-counts-report/
 
The RCM’s Labour Ward Leaders programme ‘Working together for safer care’ was designed and delivered collaboratively by the RCM, RCOG and the patient safety team at NHS Improvement (NHSI), with funding from Health Education England and ATAIN. https://www.rcm.org.uk/news-views-and-analysis/news/rcm-education-programme-nominated-for-award
 
Each Baby Counts is the RCOG’s national quality improvement initiative to reduce by 50% the number of babies who die or are left severely disabled as a result of incidents occurring during term labour by 2020. The project has had a 100% participation rate with UK NHS Hospital Trusts. The development of the Each Baby Counts programme was supported by a grant from the Department of Health and a generous legacy donation from Dr Lindsay Stewart to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. For more information, visit: https://www.rcog.org.uk/eachbabycounts
 
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is a medical charity that champions the provision of high quality women’s healthcare in the UK and beyond. It is dedicated to encouraging the study and advancing the science and practice of obstetrics and gynaecology. It does this through postgraduate medical education and training and the publication of clinical guidelines and reports on aspects of the specialty and service provision. For more information, visit: https://www.rcog.org.uk/
 
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is the only trade union and professional association dedicated to serving midwifery and the whole midwifery team. We provide workplace advice and support, professional and clinical guidance and information, and learning opportunities with our broad range of events, conferences and online resources. For more information visit the RCM website at https://www.rcm.org.uk/
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