Pregnancy and childbirth are critical times determining the future health and wellbeing of both mother and baby. The national NHS Maternity and Neonatal Safety Improvement Programme (MatNeo SIP) is delivered by Health Innovation Networks through Patient Safety Collaboratives. It aims to reduce the rate of preterm births from 8% to 6% and halve the rate of stillbirths, neonatal death and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth.
Critical drivers are our ability to improve safety in maternity and neonatal care by working collaboratively, introducing and spreading innovation and reducing unwarranted variation supporting a high-quality healthcare experience for all women, babies and families. Key ambitions are to improve:
- optimisation and stabilisation of the preterm infant
- early recognition and management of deterioration in women and babies through the development and spread of a national Maternal Early Warning Score (MEWS) and adoption of a Neonatal Early Warning trigger and track score.
- Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth (ABC). The ABC programme is a national initiative commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care, the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Obstetricians and THIS Institute. The programme aims to significantly reduce avoidable brain injuries during childbirth by 2027 through improved clinical practice, teamwork and communication.
Read more about our Maternity and Neonatal Safety Improvement Programme