Saving Mothers' Lives: - Public Health Agency for Northern Ireland

At a national level
In every country, the fi ndings of successive Reports have been used to develop national maternal and
public health policies. For example, in England and Wales the fi ndings of the Enquiry are used:
• To help develop government policy. For example, in England, the National Service Framework for
Maternity Services 1 and its implementation strategy “Maternity Matters” 2 , both acknowledge the
key part the fi ndings of previous Reports have played in policy development. In Wales, the National
Service Framework for Young People and Maternity Services addresses similar issues 3
• To inform NICE or other guideline or audit development
• To inform guideline and audit development by the relevant Royal Colleges
• To set minimum standards of care, for example as set out in the criteria for the management of
maternity services by the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) for England and the Welsh
Risk Pool (WRP)
• To contribute to the Health Care Commission’s review on maternity services
• As part of post graduate training and continuous professional self-development syllabus for all
relevant health professionals
• To identify and promulgate areas for further research.
In Scotland, the fi ndings of the Enquiry inform the work of equivalent bodies responsible for national quality
initiatives. These include NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS), the Scottish Intercollegiate
Guidelines Network (SIGN) and the Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme (CNORIS).
In Northern Ireland the fi ndings of the Enquiry similarly inform policy development through the Department
of Health, Social Services, and Public Safety for Northern Ireland (DHSSPS), inform quality and standards
through the DHSSPS and other bodies including the Clinical Resource Effi ciency Support Team (CREST)
and the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) and are included in postgraduate education.
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