Regional partnership launched to support improvement in maternity and neonatal services
The Department of Health has launched a new regional partnership aimed at driving improvements in maternity and newborn care across Northern Ireland.
The Maternal and Newborn Partnership is a new multi-disciplinary forum that will bring together key stakeholders from across Health and Social Care to work collaboratively to improve outcomes and experiences for mothers, babies and families.
It will support efforts to ensure that maternity and neonatal services remain safe, high-quality, sustainable and centred on the needs of those using them.
Health Minister Robbie Butler said: “The care women and families receive during pregnancy, childbirth and the early days of a baby’s life has a profound impact, not only on immediate health outcomes, but on the long-term wellbeing of children, parents and communities.
“I am particularly pleased that the Partnership places such a strong emphasis on collaboration and engagement.
“Through working together, we can continue to build maternity and newborn services that are safe, equitable, sustainable and responsive to changing needs.
“By bringing together professionals, policymakers, commissioners and service users, this Partnership will help ensure that improvement efforts are informed by evidence, guided by clinical expertise and shaped by the experiences of those who use our services.”
The Maternal and Newborn Partnership will support regional priorities by promoting consistency of care, helping to identify opportunities for quality improvement across maternity and neonatal services and facilitating the sharing of best practice.
A key feature of the Partnership will be its commitment to ensuring that women, parents and families are actively involved in shaping and improving services. Their experiences and perspectives will inform the Partnership’s work and help guide future developments.
Department of Health Permanent Secretary Mike Farrar, who formally launched the Partnership at an event today, said: “Today is about more than the launch of a new initiative. It is a demonstration of our shared commitment to work differently, to work together, and to deliver better outcomes for women, babies, families and communities across Northern Ireland.
“It sends a clear and positive message about the power of collaboration and our collective determination to improve services for those who rely on them.
“This Partnership recognises that meaningful and sustainable change can only be achieved by working together. By bringing together our knowledge, expertise and experience, we can strengthen services, support our workforce and improve outcomes for women, babies and families.”
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Given the crisis situation in Newry with the ‘temporary’ closure of the consultant-led maternity unit at Daisy Hill Hospital, it remains to be seen what more can be done if consultant posts cannot be filled and if there is limited funding to maintain a service. In Newry’s case plan B was moving women having babies to Craigavon which the wider-Newry community does not accept.
Downpatrick consultant-led maternity closed for similar reasons over ‘safety’ and consultant posts were not filled despite efforts by the Trust. This is fundamentally a reconfiguration of services whether we like it or not… and many don’t.
