Implementing A Framework for Maternity ... - Scottish Government

Provision of Acute Maternity
Services
Regional services
1. The Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland set out that maternity care should be
organised to provide a comprehensive, clinically effective, safe, flexible, integrated, multidisciplinary,
seamless and accessible service tailored to meet the needs of women and their
families within a safe and secure environment. The Framework asks NHS Boards to develop
Maternity Services Strategies and Local Implementation Schemes within a local and
regional context, taking account of the Framework guidance.
2. The EGAMS concluded that a regional approach to managing and delivering maternity
services offers the best opportunity to provide high-quality women and baby-centred
services that are clinically effective and make best use of skilled staff resources. Regional
Service Planning Groups (RSPGs) – existing groupings of NHS Boards which develop plans
for health services across Board boundaries – should plan and commission services which
provide local access to appropriate levels of maternity care, and ensure that care complies
with core principles of service delivery (Box 1).
Core principles of delivery in maternity services
Box 1
• Care should be high quality and based on the best available evidence.
• Care should be offered as close to the woman’s locality as possible.
• Continuity of care is a key goal.
• Services should be planned to strike a balance between women’s choices, risk and
quality of care.
• All women should be ‘booked’ by a midwife and assigned to the appropriate level of
care, as defined by risk assessment and management principles.
• A ‘lead professional’ for the woman’s care should be identified. This can be any
professional. Midwives are likely to be the lead professionals for ‘normal’ pregnancies
and births.
• Women should receive one-to-one care when in labour.
• Services should be based on a multi-disciplinary approach to care.
• Women and their partners should be well-informed about arrangements for their care
and support throughout the pregnancy and beyond.
page 8