Choice, safety and sustainability at heart of maternity strategy

Addressing the Assembly, the Minister said: “The birth of a baby is a wonderful event. Most women and their babies experience high quality services but more can always be done to improve service provision. This Strategy is about improving outcomes for mother, baby and the wider family, recognising that maternity services should be responsive to needs.”

The revised strategy focuses on six outcomes:

· Giving the baby, and family, the best start in life;

· Effective communication and high quality maternity care;

· Healthier women at the start of pregnancy (preconception care);

· Effective and accessible antenatal care, and a positive experience for prospective parents;

· Safe labour and birth (intrapartum care) with improved experiences for mothers and babies; and

· Appropriate advice, and support for parents and baby after birth (postnatal care).

Minister Poots said: “These outcomes will take time to achieve but key to success will be that prospective parents will be considered as partners in care, making informed lifestyle choices and being given detailed information about the benefits and risks associated with their choice of location of birth.”

The Strategy puts midwifes as lead professionals for the care of women with straightforward pregnancies. Care will be delivered locally, where possible. Women with more complex conditions will receive care through consultant led obstetric services.

Speaking as he visited the Midwife-led Unit at the Ulster Hospital, the Minister said: “The provision of safe, sustainable, high quality maternity services is one of my main priorities. It is part of the wider public health agenda and Transforming Your Care. I want to promote maternity services which are commissioned and provided on the best available evidence in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for mothers and babies”.

The Minister expressed thanks to the co-chairs of the review - Dr Paul Fogarty from the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists and Professor Cathy Warwick, CBE from The Royal College of Midwives.

Commenting on the Strategy, Dr Fogarty said: “Pregnancy is usually a normal physiological process and for the majority of women in Northern Ireland it is a safe event. But more can be done to improve outcomes for mothers and babies. Implementing this strategy will drive change in service provision which will be essential to high quality, safe and sustainable care”.

Professor Cathy Warwick, added: “High quality care does not need to equate to hospital care for every woman. The midwifery team are highly skilled professionals who will deliver maternity care, predominately in the local community. They will be partners in care with parents, GPs and other primary care professionals, and hospital doctors. Risk assessment will be continuous throughout pregnancy and delivery. Access to technology will no longer have to be hospital based, but can be delivered in an integrated way in community settings and closer to home.