Publish date: 31 March 2023
This three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services in England is directed at frontline staff and leadership, describing the building blocks that are needed to ensure the needs of women, babies and families are at the heart of services. It summarises responsibilities for each part of the NHS including Trusts, Integrated Care Boards and Systems including Local Maternity and Neonatal Systems and Operational Delivery Networks, and NHS England.
A wide range of stakeholders supported the development of this plan, including women and families who have used or are using maternity and neonatal services, members of the maternity and neonatal workforce, leaders and commissioners of services, systems and regions, and representatives from Royal Colleges, charities and other organisations. More than 1,000 stakeholders attended meetings about the plan, and more than 2,100 survey responses were received.
Through this engagement there was clear agreement on what the plan’s focus should be, so for the next three years, services are being asked to concentrate on four themes:
- Listening to and working with women and families, with compassion
- Growing, retaining, and supporting our workforce
- Developing and sustaining a culture of safety, learning, and support
- Standards and structures that underpin safer, more personalised, and more equitable care.
This will continue to require the dedication of everyone working in NHS maternity and neonatal services in England, who work tirelessly to support families and improve care.