NHS scheme to prevent brain injuries in childbirth extended across England
An NHS programme to boost maternity safety and prevent brain injuries during childbirth is to be rolled out across England.
The avoiding brain injuries in childbirth (ABC) programme is designed to help maternity staff better identify signs that a baby is in distress during labour so they can act quickly.
It is also intended to help staff respond more effectively to obstetric emergencies, such as where the baby's head becomes lodged deep in the mother's pelvis during a caesarean birth.
The government said the programme, which will begin from September and follows a pilot scheme in nine maternity units, would reduce the number of avoidable brain injuries during childbirth, helping to prevent lifelong conditions such as cerebral palsy.
The health secretary, Wes Streeting, said: 'All expectant mothers giving birth in an NHS hospital should have peace of mind that they are in safe hands. This vital programme will give staff across the country the right tools and training to deliver better care to women and their babies, reducing the devastating impact of avoidable brain injuries.'
The most recent data from the neonatal data analysis unit at Imperial College London shows that 2,490 babies had at least one episode of care for brain injury during or after birth in 2021, equating to 4.2 per 1,000 live births.
The pilot scheme, which launched in October, was delivered by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute (This).
Ranee Thakar, the RCOG president, said: 'The ABC programme supports multidisciplinary maternity teams to deliver safer, more personalised care. Hundreds of maternity staff, including obstetricians, midwives and anaesthesiologists, have been involved in developing and testing this quality improvement programme.
'We have heard what a difference it makes, supporting teams to work effectively together in time-sensitive and high-pressure situations. The RCOG is extremely proud to have been part of this fantastic collaboration.'
The government said the programme should give clinicians more confidence to take swift action managing an emergency.
The RCM chief executive, Gill Walton, said: 'The ABC programme has brought together all those involved in maternity care, offering practical solutions to some of the most acute clinical challenges.
'Crucially the ABC programme tools and training have been developed based on the voices of women, families and maternity staff. This has been the key to the success of the pilot programme. Equally, the will and drive of midwives and the wider multidisciplinary team to improve safety and outcomes for women and their families has been evident across the course of the training at the pilot sites.'
The programme is expected to reduce inequalities in maternity outcomes across England so that most maternity units achieve outcomes comparable to the current highest-performing 20% of trusts.
Prof Mary Dixon-Woods, the director of This, said the programme would reduce unwarranted variation. 'The pilot has shown that it's possible to train people effectively and efficiently,' she said. 'A national commitment to implement the programme at scale will be important in ensuring that the benefits are seen.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
33 minutes ago
- BBC News
Denbigh hockey player 'in limbo' after head struck by ball
"I understand there is an element of risk in hockey, but surely a brain injury must trigger some help?"Claerwen Render, 42, loved sports but her life changed when she was hit on the forehead by a hockey ball five years mother-of-three has suffered daily migraines and fatigue since and has seen her income halve after giving up her role as a member of a secondary school's senior leadership after being refused an insurance payout through her sport's governing body, she has been left questioning if affiliation payments are worth Cymru said it had developed their approach to head injuries but that more needed to happen to explain the limitations of insurance cover. Mrs Render was playing for Clwb Hoci Rhuthun in Denbighshire in November 2019 when she was caught on the temple by a ball struck by an opposing badly, she was taken by ambulance to the nearest A&E the next few months she tried to return to the classroom as a maths teacher, but struggled to cope."I'm not getting half my old life back. I'm just in limbo, in pain," said Mrs Render."I can't do anything. It really affects my sleep. I've taken time off work but no amount of rest gets rid of my symptoms. It's debilitating."I can't do normal things like before. I can't enjoy going to the kids' activities. If I stay I suffer, or I'll go to work in more pain and I have to go to bed." Nine months after the incident, Mrs Render, from Denbigh, made an insurance claim through her Hoci Cymru membership but said her application did not trigger any now works four mornings a week having been diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome."Why have I paid 15 years of affiliation and insurance? It was for something like this," said Mrs Render."I understand there is an element of risk, but surely a brain injury must trigger something? Are we just paying into a bottomless pit?"I'm just disappointed that I'm not compensated for loss of earnings, the future of my kids, everything."One sports lawyer said few players were fully aware of the level of cover they have for head injuries."No-one signs up to play these sports to get permanent and progressive brain damage and a very high number of sports men and women, we believe, have that," said Richard Boardman, from law firm Rylands Garth. "It is critical that all grassroots players know about the risks involved in collision sports, and whether they are covered for brain injuries," Mr Boardman Morris from brain injury charity Headway, stressed the health and social benefits of sports, including brain health, but also said players needed to be aware of how insurance cover works."It is something that governing bodies and insurers need to be transparent with and really convey to people what circumstances they wouldn't be covered."So people can take out further insurance if they need to, protection against loss of income for example," he said. Hoci Cymru's concussion policy was first introduced in 2021. Its chief executive, Paul Whapham, said they could not comment on individual insurance cases but acknowledged the "very real impact" Mrs Render's injury had and took her concerns "seriously"."This situation highlights the importance of clear communication and transparency around insurance coverage," said Mr added Hoci Cymru's approach to head injuries had developed but there was "always more" to be done so players "understand the extent and limitations of cover provided through affiliation"."We are committed to working with our insurers, our clubs and partners to ensure that policies are clear, fair and supportive of our players' wellbeing," Mr Whapham said.
Daily Mirror
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
John Whaite says 'I feel like an ageing fool' as he struggles with diagnosis
Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite took to social media with a candid update two years after revealing he had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Former Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite has candidly opened up on his health struggles in a new social media upload. The Bake Off star, 36, took to Instagram to reveal his thoughts on how his "superpower" can sometimes "make life confusing". John was diagnosed with ADHD in 2023 and said at the time he wished he had "known this sooner". According to the NHS, ADHD - which stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - is "a condition where the brain works differently to most people". The health service explains symptoms of the diagnosis can leave people having trouble with things like concentrating and sitting still. Now, in an honest video shared to his social media page, John admitted of his condition: "Sometimes it makes life almost unbearable. I was promised I'd get older and wiser, but sometimes I feel like I'm just an ageing fool." He said in the clip: "Oh can we just talk about the reality of life with ADHD because you know a lot of the time we think we have a superpower and sometimes it can serve us very well. "It can serve us in so many ways where we can fixate on things and achieve things and create things and really do the best work or something imaginable but often that's such a pyrrhic victory because we bleed ourselves dry or we exhaust ourselves in doing it or we abandon plans or friends or family and the reality of ADHD is that it can make us believe that what we're doing in life sometimes is the exactly the righteous course of action for us." He went on: "It's the right path in spite of what people who love us might say. And then when it gets to the point where we are our interest fizzles away, the reality kicks in and we see the truth and we see the situation for what it is. "At that point we're left kind of thinking f***, I've given up so much for this. I've ignored people who love me for this. And this is really exhausting because usually the older you get the wise you get. And while that can still be true in a situation where you have ADHD I think the reality. "As you get older you don't necessarily get wiser, you just get older and when you get older and you keep making silly little mistakes people become less tolerant of those mistakes because you're meant to be older and wiser." He added that despite so much positivity surrounding the "superpower", there is also a flip side that can be "crippling and so dehumanising and annoying". John candidly confessed: "If I could chose to live life neurotypically at this point in my life, I would jump at the chance and I know that's not very pro ADHD it's not very kind of holding up the flag our community but sometimes it's just exhausting, it's horrific and sometimes I f****** hate it." John has regularly been open about his condition since his diagnosis. He has also spoke out about his mental health battle, previously suffering from bulimia and suicidal thoughts. He explained at how one point he was so low he decided to quit fame and move to Canada, where he volunteered on a farm in a bid to go back to basics and help him recover. Speaking on Steph's Packed Lunch in 2020, he said he also suffers from sexsomnia, a condition similar to night terrors and sleep walking, but instead he engages in sexual behaviour that he doesn't remember when he's awake. "You have night terrors, I have night pleasures, because I have sexsomnia," he said. "In the night, I'll be fast asleep... My boyfriend wakes up and I'll be fondling him. He's having the time of his life and I'm fast asleep." He has also admitted he was left feeling "suicidal" in the past following his Bake Off win. "I kind of felt like I'd failed. And I felt suicidal. I really really did think I was going to end it," John explained.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
I was fined for stopping in a bus lane when I thought I was going pass out but I was only there for a few seconds... something needs to change
An outraged man has spoken out after he received a fine for pulling into a bus lane when he thought he was going to faint. Gareth Orrill, 43, started to feel 'dizzy and nauseous' as he was driving along Newcastle Avenue, in Nottinghamshire. He has been diagnosed with a heart condition called Atrial fibrillation and has been on new medication for the past three weeks, meaning that sometimes he struggles with difficult side effects. Mr Orrill decided to pull into a nearby bus stop to gather himself before continuing on his journey. The 43-year-old claimed he only stopped in the bus lane for 'a matter of seconds', but still received a fine. He said that the incidents should be monitored on a case-by-case basis and that an automated system for fining individuals is way of 'milking money' from drivers who do not want to put up a fight. Mr Orrill said: 'I did pay the fine, but I am raising this as a concern. It was an emergency, and I felt very faint. My issue isn't with the restrictions in place. There needs to be a change in the system for how you can appeal this. 'There needs to be a manual aspect to it. Someone needs to look at it and judge it on a case-by-case basis. I was there for a matter of seconds. 'They need to look at the system; we need a website where we can look at the video of the parking violation and review it, instead of them just saying you were there and because you were fined, done. 'If you don't have to pay after 21 days, then it can escalate to a £100 fine that you can't defend easily. 'I think that people who block bus stops do need to be fined, but I have a problem with how hard it is to appeal the fine, as they give you two-thirds of an A4 piece of paper to write your appeal on. I am capable of driving, my medication allows me to drive, the side effects are what caused and I am allowed to drive on these.' But Nottinghamshire County Council says it does provide an online portal for people to lodge their appeals in response to receiving a parking fine. The spokesperson said: 'The rules for parking enforcement say that anyone who gets a Penalty Charge Notice (parking fine) must be given the chance to appeal it. This includes the option to appeal to an independent body called the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. 'Nottinghamshire County Council always gives people different ways to appeal, including using a secure online portal. There's no need to write and post a letter, and most people use the online system. 'Every appeal is reviewed by trained staff, who consider any special circumstances along with the evidence. Cases are also put on hold whilst appeals are considered and if we reject an appeal, we will always re-offer the option to pay at a discounted rate. 'We are now in receipt of correspondence from Mr Orrill and we will be directly responding to him shortly.' A spokesperson for the British Driving Alliance, Ian Taylor, said: 'The authorities will have to know whether people are just trying it on by pretending to have a medical emergency, but if he was having a medical episode, then what on earth are the authorities trying to penalise. 'We have to apply a certain amount of common sense, judging cases on their merits.'
