A key priority for NHS Greater Manchester is to improve maternity and neonatal services for those who need them. Whilst there is still more to do, since our last update in September 2024, we have worked with our partners to make improvements in safety and outcomes.
In recent years, there have been significant increases in risk factors for pregnant women and birthing people including age, lifestyle factors and deprivation which may require more complex care.
As a system we draw on the expertise of staff and patients to understand the issues impacting maternity and neonatal services and work together to address them. Here are some of the things we have done since September 2024.
Safety improvements – reduction in stillbirth and brain injury rates
We are seeing a continued reduction in stillbirth and brain injury rates across Greater Manchester. Whilst this is great news, any stillbirth or brain injury is a tragic life changing event and there will always be more we can do. This will continue to be a key priority for us.
Stillbirth rates have fallen to their lowest level since 2019, and the third lowest rate in the last 10 years.
The stillbirth rate in 2024 was 4.35 per 1000 live births. This is an 11% reduction in stillbirth rates in the past year and 14 more babies born healthy than in 2023.
Brain injury is at its lowest rate in the last 10 years – 0.52 per 1000 live births, which is well below the national average.
In 2022, there were 40 babies were born with a brain injury. In 2024, there were 15 babies born with a brain injury. This is a reduction in 37.5% over the last two years.
Creation of the Maternity and Neonatal Oversight Group
Following the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board meeting in September 2024, a Maternity and Neonatal Oversight Group has been created.
This group is made up of key partners from across the System, including our local maternity providers and maternity and neonatal voices partnerships. Their aim is to work together to oversee improvements to maternity services and ensure high quality, sustainable care for families.
The Maternity and Neonatal Oversight Group focuses on listening to patients, their families and healthcare professionals, as well as looking at the data, to identify areas of improvement and opportunities for system-wide change. This group is one of many which enable us to share learning and provide advice and mutual support.
Managing workforce challenges.
Two of the biggest challenges affecting maternity and neonatal services are maintaining agreed staffing levels to ensure the right staff are in the right place at the right time, and the relationship between staffing levels and outcomes.
Supporting Labour Ward Coordinators
A Labour Ward Coordinator (LWC) is a healthcare professional, typically a highly experienced midwife, who leads the day-to-day running of the labour ward. This includes ensuring high-quality and safe care, organising staff and managing the flow of patients on the labour ward.
To make sure aspiring and current LWCs can continuously develop their skills and expertise, NHS Greater Manchester, in partnership with the maternity and neonatal service providers across Greater Manchester, is creating a LWC Framework.
The LWC Framework will support a consistent approach to the induction, training, and development of LWCs. The introduction of LWCs will enable our midwives to focus more on the immediate care that our women and birthing people need.
Developing the skills of Maternity Support Workers
Maternity Support Workers (MSW) help midwives care for women and their babies during pregnancy, labour, delivery and after birth. For example, they may assist with routine checks like blood pressure and taking temperatures, help parents to bathe their babies and support with breastfeeding.
MSWs are an essential group of staff who support our maternity services and ensure we have the appropriate number of staff in place. To ensure they continue to develop the right knowledge, skills, education and training to deliver high quality care, NHS England recently updated the Maternity Support Worker Competency, Education and Career Development Framework.
NHS Greater Manchester is now putting the advice and information from the framework into practice. The project will include identifying key areas for learning and recommendations for training programmes.
Expanding the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership
Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships (MNVP) are groups of women, birthing people, their families, midwives and doctors, working together to review and improve local maternity care.
We now have eight MNVP leaders, to represent each of the maternity and neonatal units across Greater Manchester.
We also now have a team of five engagement officers, who support the MNVP leaders to reach women and birthing people across our Greater Manchester localities to ensure their voices are heard. People can find out more about their local MNVP by visiting www.maternityvoicesgmec.org.uk.
Since November 2024, local MNVP teams have completed around 200 hours of training between them. The engagement team have spent nearly 120 hours creating relationships with local voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations, to wider their reach into communities who need to have their voice heard.
Improving information and support for our women, birthing people and their families
Working with our MNVPs and clinicians across Greater Manchester, we have built a dedicated section on our website for people who are pregnant and their partners/families.
Being pregnant is a journey and our information steps people through every stage, from finding out you are pregnant, preparing, what to expect from labour and once you are home with baby. Within this information is a reminder of key contacts and what to do if you are worried about your pregnancy in any way.
The information can be accessed on our pregnancy and maternity pages.
Chief Nursing Officer
Mandy Philbin, Chief Nursing Officer for NHS Greater Manchester, said:
“It’s promising to see improvements in our maternity services, particularly in relation to stillbirth and brain injury rates. Every stillbirth is a tragedy which has a profound effect on the bereaved families, and our maternity staff will continue to work hard to ensure that expectant parents and their babies are given the best possible start together.
“We are also making headway in ensuring our workforce feels supported and has access to the development and training they need to deliver high-quality care.
“We are committed to continuing to progress our maternity services and improve the health outcomes for women, birthing people, babies and their families. The expansion of our MNVP network allows us to bring the voice of services users to heart of decision making for maternity and neonatal care. Listening to, and working with, patients and staff will continue to be at the forefront of our efforts to delivery high quality, safe maternity and neonatal services”
