HOW BEST TO IMPROVE MATERNITY SERVICES

In today’s debate in Parliament about maternity services, Stafford’s Labour MP David Kidney put forward his suggestions for improving services for all mothers, their babies and partners. He was taking part in the debate because of his membership of, and his interest in, the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Maternity Services. The MP, who last year officially opened the new birthing pool at Stafford hospital, says services are good in most parts of the country but more needs to be done to spread best practice everywhere:

“The NHS staff who work in maternity services do a great job. Their commitment to the service and their dedication is really appreciated by mums-to-be and fathers at a time when they may be very anxious. I admire the work done by midwives and health visitors locally and indeed all the health team from Consultant to administrator.

“The recent Healthcare Commission review shows that there is very good practice in maternity services but alongside this good practice there are some poor services, especially in parts of London and the South East. The challenge facing us all is to make sure the best practice is taken up by all maternity units.

“There are also fresh challenges facing us like the increase in the number of babies born prematurely. It is great that medical advances and improved skills mean that more premature babies survive their early arrival, but the services needed for them and their families are very resource-intensive.

“On the whole, we have very good maternity services in our country and we have the right support in place in terms of NHS investment, a National Service Framework and NICE guidance. In the debate, I urged the Health Minister, Ann Keen MP, to ensure that the midwives and health visitors and other staff are properly supported and trained. I reminded the minister of the Unicef “Baby Friendly Initiative”, which sets the standards for support and training and which also has a positive influence on mothers’ breastfeeding rates.”