Morning, Tuesday, 28th January 2025
Online
This conference will focus on priorities for improving maternity services and care in the UK.
As the Government consults on its draft 10-Year Health Plan, it will be an opportunity for stakeholders and policymakers to discuss strategic priorities for maternity services, assess policy proposals, and examine next steps if ambitions are to be achieved. Areas for discussion include improving mental health support for new mothers, providing better access to community care, and meeting targets for midwife recruitment and training.
The agenda looks at ways forward for implementing measures to improve maternal and infant health outcomes, including approaches for setting and meeting targets to close the Black and Asian maternal mortality gap. We expect sessions to bring out latest thinking on strategies for tackling inequalities more widely within maternity care, looking at improving outcomes for marginalised groups and ensuring informed consent, especially among women for whom English is not a first language.
With a £22bn increase in total health and social care revenue and capital funding announced in the Budget, but no specific allocation outlined for maternity services, stakeholders and policymakers will assess practicalities and next steps for the effective use of funds, and what is needed to meet patient safety and workforce targets.
We expect delegates to draw on findings and recommendations related to patient safety and care in Lord Darzi's Independent Investigation of the National Health Service in England and the Care Quality Commission's National Review of Maternity Services in England, 2022 to 2024. Areas for discussion include use of demographic data to review incidents and improve outcomes, as well as the future of NHS England guidance around patient safety events.
Progress made since the independent review into maternity and neonatal services in East Kent will be assessed, as well as priorities for implementing key recommendations. It will also be an opportunity to discuss ways forward for improving neonatal care outcomes, following the launch of The Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth pilot.
Further sessions look at approaches to building and sustaining the maternity care workforce, with discussion on retention, attracting new students to midwifery in light of increased tuition fees, and concerns around leadership and culture. Progress of NHS England’s Three year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services will also be assessed, alongside next steps for its implementation.
Delegates will also consider approaches for equipping staff with the skills needed to address increasing medical complexity. They will assess developments in innovation and the future role of data and technology in supporting patient safety and information sharing, such as utilising AI, such as the Maternity & Neonatal Observatory system. The state of infrastructure in maternity units will also be discussed, including the availability of necessary equipment and facilities.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- Government’s 10-Year Health Plan: assessing proposals to improve maternity services - what is needed from policy and stakeholders to achieve aims - next steps for planning - closing the maternal mortality gap
- patient safety and care:
- the way forward following key findings from the Lord Darzi investigation and the CQC review - developing best practice and regulatory frameworks - implementing recommendations to enhance safety
- addressing underperforming services - utilisation of demographic data to review incidents and improve outcomes - equipping staff with skills to manage complex cases
- maternity workforce: attracting students to careers in nursing and midwifery - examining aims of the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan and assessing progress - addressing leadership and culture challenges
- tackling inequalities:
- setting targets to close the Black and Asian maternal mortality gap
- improving outcomes for marginalised groups - ensuring informed consent among women with language barriers - accountability systems to respond to discriminatory behaviour
- mental health support: enhancing services for new mothers - integrating mental health care into maternity services - addressing barriers to access
- infrastructure and facilities: priorities for resources, targeting improvement and upgrading for maternity units - assessing and improving availability of necessary equipment
- technology in maternity care: expanding use of AI and wider technology - integration with legacy systems - staff engagement and training - electronic health records and information sharing
- managing medical complexity: equipping staff with skills for complex cases - updating training programmes - rolling out new clinical models improving and safeguarding standards
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
