Launch of new national standards for maternity care and gynaecology
World class maternity and gynaecological care
Standardisation of NHS records to enhance the quality of care, and address issues of inequality, is something that midwives have wanted in place for as long as I can remember. on 02 July, I was therefore delighted to be invited to hear about the new ‘National Standards for Maternity Care and Gynaecology’ being launched at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in London. I was amongst an audience of senior obstetricians, gynaecologists, midwives, anaesthetists, and women’s health care commissioners and trust managers gathered to hear the details of the long awaited standards that will significantly improve the delivery of women’s healthcare.
The new standards mark a giant leap forward for world class maternity and gynaecological care. As NHS Connecting for Health’s national clinical lead for midwives, I have a vested interest in what’s available to the midwifery profession to enable us to provide the best possible care. At the RCOG we learned about how the new standards had been carefully researched and developed to ensure that they reflected the most modern, effective and evidence based care for the commission, provision and monitoring of the highest possible quality of women’s healthcare.
Working parties
The working party for maternity care was sponsored jointly by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and partially funded by the Department of Health.
The working party for gynaecology brought together recommendations from the Department of Health’s National Standards Frameworks, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the royal colleges and professional societies. These standards built on feedback from the document ‘Clinical Standards: Advice on planning the service in Obstetrics and Gynaecology,’ where the benefit of a single set of comprehensive gynaecological care standards to women, and their families, was highlighted.
The launch was Chaired by journalist Eve Pollard and there were some excellent and informative presentations from the president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, the Royal College of Midwives Deputy General Secretary Louise Silverton and Professor Suzanne Truttero and Dr Tahir Mahmood of the Maternity Care Standards working party and the Healthcare Commission’s Sue Eardley.
Anne Keen MP, Parliamentary under Secretary for Health Services at the Department of Health, was also in attendance and commended these standards for national adoption. Eve Pollard also thanked Anne Keen for the recent award of £330 million for the provision of maternity and gynaecology care in England.
Where can I find out more about the new standards?
Having worked as midwife for the last 28 years, the introduction of this comprehensive range of standards is ground-breaking. For the first time ever, maternity and gynaecology services have a new tool and framework to assist in the delivery of first-rate care. The standards can be viewed in full at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists website.