The national Maternity and Neonatal Safety Improvement programme is delivered locally by Health innovation Oxford and Thames Valley (HIOTV) in collaboration with our maternity and neonatal clinical network. Existing workstreams include:
- Optimisation and stabilisation of preterm infants, a coordinated pathway of nine evidence-based interventions: Place of birth, Antenatal corticosteroids, Magnesium sulphate, Antibiotics, Optimal cord management, Normothermia, Early breast milk/colostrum, Volume-targeted ventilation, Caffeine.
- Early recognition and management of deterioration in women and babies through rolling out the national Maternal Early Warning Score (MEWS) and the National Early Warning Trigger and Track score (NEWTT2).
- Perinatal Culture and Leadership (PCLP)The formal commission has now come to an end. The programme that we supported in 2024 to 2026 was designed to strengthen culture as a foundation for safer, more equitable maternity and neonatal care. It brought together perinatal teams to build capability in culture and leadership, use data to inform improvement priorities, and test practical approaches to embedding behavioural change in everyday practice. The PCLP links with other Maternity and Neonatal programmes supporting aspects such as managing change, teamworking, escalation, communication and continued improvement.
New workstreams include 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.