The maternity and neonatal safety support programme's discovery phase report lays the foundations for fundamental change

The maternity and neonatal community in Wales has outlined the path to improve the quality of care for mothers and babies throughout the journey of new life.

The maternity and neonatal safety support programme team of leads and champions, embedded in each health board and the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust, has worked together on the report at the request of Welsh Government.

By considering maternity and neonatal care in an integrated approach, alongside pre-hospital care, the report lays the foundations for fundamental change in the way we look at and deliver care across Wales.

This work was not a review of services, but through meeting and communicating with maternity and neonatal teams, the maternity and neonatal safety support programme team has identified some opportunities to improve care and governance.

The report has been created by the maternity and neonatal community in Wales for the maternity and neonatal community in Wales.

Improvement Cymru supported the creation of this report by providing expertise in healthcare improvement in Wales. This included advising and coaching the leads and champions on the most appropriate tools and diagnostic framework for their discovery work.

Improvements are already underway thanks to the work this discovery phase has ignited.

John Boulton, Director of Improvement Cymru, said: “The maternity and neonatal safety support programme’s improvement discovery phase report is a significant step forward for maternity and neonatal care in Wales, clearly outlining the path to improving the quality of care for mothers and babies throughout the journey of new life here in Wales.

“The passion throughout the maternity and neonatal workforce is clear to see across Wales, we found a real drive to deliver the best care possible for the people of Wales.

“The maternity and neonatal safety support programme team has been actively enabling new improvement activities, while also being a valuable resource to support organisations with their existing improvement projects.”