This award will be spent on maternal and fetal monitoring equipment and simulation equipment for multidisciplinary training in the care of the mother and baby in obstetric emergencies.
It is part of a fund of more than £2million which the Department of Health has awarded to trusts across the country, from Gateshead to Taunton and Somerset, as part of the Government’s commitment to halve the number of stillbirths, neo natal deaths, maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth by 2030.
Gill Walton, Director of Midwifery at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust said: “This will make a huge difference in terms of the care we can offer women. Any additional equipment helps to make care safer and we are delighted to receive this additional funding”.
Health Minister Ben Gummer said: “It is my ambition to ensure the NHS is one of the safest places in the world to have a baby. Our staff do an excellent job providing high quality care but it is vital that they have the right equipment to continue to do this, that’s why I am really pleased that so many trusts will benefit from this fund.
“I am determined to ensure we do everything we can to reduce the number of families going through the heartache of stillbirth, neo natal death, maternal death and brain injury occurring during or soon after birth.”
Trusts have received funding to spend on kit including new ultrasound machines and mother and baby monitoring equipment, so any problems can be detected and addressed earlier.
As part of its campaign to improve maternity safety, the Government is also investing £500,000 to develop a new system to be used consistently across the NHS so staff can review and learn from every stillbirth and neonatal death. As well as £1million to roll out training packages so staff have the skills and confidence they need to deliver world-leading safe care and £365 million to improve perinatal mental health services.
Ministers will work with top consultants, midwives and other experts both across this country and internationally to ensure the very best practice is applied across the NHS. There is also a drive to improve the data available to staff and patients.
This focus on improving maternity services is part of a wider commitment by the Government, backed by a £10billion investment in the NHS, to ensure all patients receive the very best care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
