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Top 10 rating for maternity
staff detecting babies 'at risk' of still birth
ORMSKIRK Hospital's Maternity Unit has been
nationally recognised for detecting a condition which can lead to babies being
stillborn. Recently the Wigan Road Maternity Unit confirmed it was ranked in the
UK's Top 10 for detecting unborn babies, who are Small for Gestational Age (SGA).
SGA can stop the baby growing during pregnancy and can cause an increased risk
of stillbirth and can affect up to 10% of mothers to be. Skelmersdale mother of
2, Louise Flavell, and her baby Ava Marie, benefited from early detection of SGA.
This meant the baby girl, weighing 1.39kg/5lbs 1oz, is now hoping to be home in
time for Christmas. Ava Marie arrived safely in week 34 of pregnancy on
Saturday, 18 November thanks to expertise of doctors and nurses at Ormskirk
Maternity Unit. The team achieved their rating by implementing the "Growth
Assessment Protocol" designed by the Perinatal Institute. The aim is to
reduce the number of stillbirths associated with growth restriction during
pregnancy and involves producing a growth chart for each patient. It is tailored
specifically to their height, weight and ethnicity. The growth of
the baby is then closely monitored so any concerns can be immediately acted
upon. A training programme for the midwives and doctors was undertaken to ensure
detection rates are as high as possible. The Department of Health announced in
its new maternity strategy, in November 2017, that it aimed to reduce the number
of stillbirths by ˝ by 2025. This is in line with the Saving Babies' Lives care
bundle launched by NHS England in 2016. This looks at reducing smoking
during pregnancy, improved detection of small babies, raised awareness of
reduced fetal movements and improves monitoring of babies' heart rates during
labour.
Louise Flavell, 42, from Skelmersdale,
tweeted:- "Cannot praise the Neonatal staff at @SONHStrust enough for the
way they are looking after my gorgeous girl #preemie #34weeker #nhsstaffrock #ThankYou."
Doctor Alice Bird, Consultant Obstetrician and
Gynaecologist, said:- "Congratulations to the whole maternity team on
having an average SGA detection rate of 60.3% in 2017. This is far higher than
the national average of 41.1%. These figures are excellent and put our trust in
the top 10 in the country; excellent news for our patients like Louise; well
done to the whole team. It's also positive we are already addressing issues
highlighted in the national maternity strategy and preventing the number of
still births at Ormskirk Hospital. This is reassuring for mothers to be across
Lancashire and Merseyside."
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