The next phase of the Avoiding Brain Injuries (ABC) programme has commenced this week to improve and personalise maternity care and reduce the risk of two significant contributors to avoidable brain injury in childbirth, which can have a devastating impact on babies and families.
The programme will help maternity staff to detect and act quickly when there are signs that the baby is showing distress during labour. It will also help staff deal with an important obstetric emergency that occurs where the baby’s head becomes lodged deep in the mother’s pelvis during a caesarean birth.
The ABC programme will support maternity services to adopt improved clinical practices by providing standardised clinical protocols and innovative tools, backed by multi-professional training and a safety culture toolkit. Together, these help shape ‘what good looks like’ including during emergencies and situations of pressure, including excellent teamwork.
Crucially, the ABC programme emphasises high quality, respectful communication with women, birthing people and birth partners, supporting personalised care and informed choices. A defining feature of the programme is that it has been co-designed with women, birthing people and their birth partners at every stage.
This current pilot phase will include trialling the ABC training and resources at nine selected NHS maternity units in North West England and South London, involving clinical trainers, maternity team staff, plus input from women, birthing people and birth partners. The programme could be rolled out nationally next year if the pilot is successful.
The ABC Programme is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, and led by a collaboration of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the Royal College of Midwives, and The Healthcare Improvement Studies (THIS) Institute at the University of Cambridge.
Welcoming the commencement of the pilot phase of the ABC programme:
Dr Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said: “The ABC programme will help maternity teams to improve safety by giving them the tools, resources and training they need to respond effectively when a baby might be deteriorating during labour and to handle a major obstetric emergency. Including support for teamwork and culture, ABC makes best practice easier and puts those in labour and their birth partners at the centre of their care.
Gill Walton, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “Improving the safety of maternity services by supporting staff is a priority for the RCM and something we are absolutely committed to working in partnership to achieve. Any event of avoidable brain injury is devastating for the mother, for the families and for all the staff involved. Improving multidisciplinary training is key to improving pregnancy outcomes, equally sharing good practice, and learning from mistakes is crucial. We are confident that the ABC tools and training will equip maternity staff at these pilot sites with the skills they need to ensure best outcomes for both mother and baby”.
Professor Mary Dixon-Woods, Director of The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute, said: “Any effort to improve care must put families at the centre. The ABC programme has been developed in partnership with women, birthing people and their birth partners and reflects the importance of listening, inclusion, and respect as part of keeping those in labour and their babies safe.”
The selected sites participating in the pilot of impacted fetal head during caesarean birth are:
- Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
- Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust
- Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
The selected sites participating in the pilot of detection and response to fetal deterioration are:
· Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
· Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
· St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
If you are a clinician and are interested in finding out more about the ABC Programme and this next phase of work, please register to join our ABC Network.
- If you already have a Thiscovery account it will redirect you to an activation page on the community, fill this out and then click request to join.
- If you don't have a Thiscovery account, you will be asked to register. Once you have validated your account, you can return to the link above to request to join the ABC Network
- The community administrator will then receive an email alert and will activate your account.
- You will then receive an email welcoming you to the community!