Helping us to ensure ‘continuity of carer’ in the county

News from our local maternity system

What is ‘continuity of carer’? Continuity of carer means that there is consistency in the midwife or clinical team that provides hands on care for a woman and her baby throughout the three phases of her maternity journey:

• Pregnancy
• Labour
• Postnatal period.

It enables the co-ordination of a woman’s care, so that a named individual takes responsibility for ensuring all the needs of a woman and her baby are met, at the right time and in the right place.

It enables the development of a relationship between the woman and the clinician who cares for her over time. Women have asked for more personalised care during maternity in order to enhance their antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal experiences and therefore, continuity of carer is a key theme of the Better Births report. Evidence has also shown that continuity of carer reduces risks and will make a significant contribution to reducing rates of stillbirth, neonatal death and brain injury during birth by 50% by 2030.

Please complete the online survey to help us gather information on continuity of carer in our local area.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/STWLMS1

We will use your answers to help us to improve maternity services. Please complete this online survey by 9 September 2018. If you would prefer to complete a paper version please contact louise.macleod5@nhs.net or helen.white12@nhs.net