The next phase of the Avoiding Brain Injuries (ABC) programme to improve and personalise maternity care and reduce the risk of two significant contributors to avoidable brain injury in childbirth commences this week with the rollout of a pilot training phase across nine maternity services in England.

The ABC programme which aims to support and train maternity staff to detect and act quickly when there are signs that those in labour or the baby are showing distress during labour has been funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and is led by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG) and the The Healthcare Improvement Studies (THIS) Institute at the University of Cambridge.

It will also help staff deal with an important obstetric emergency that occurs where the baby’s head becomes lodged deep in the mother’s pelvis during a caesarean birth.

The ABC programme is supporting maternity services to adopt improved clinical practices by providing standardised clinical protocols and innovative tools and is backed by multi-professional training and a safety culture toolkit.

Crucially, the ABC programme emphasises high quality, respectful communication with women, birthing people and birth partners, supporting personalised care and informed choices. A defining feature of the programme is that it has been co-designed with women, birthing people and their birth partners at every stage.

This current pilot phase will include trialing the ABC training and resources at nine selected NHS maternity units in North West England and South London, involving clinical trainers, maternity team staff, plus input from women and birth partners. The pilot programme which if successful could be rolled out nationally next year.

Welcoming the commencement of the pilot phase of the ABC programme:

Gill Walton, RCM’s Chief Executive, said: “Improving the safety of maternity services by supporting staff is a priority for the RCM and something we are absolutely committed to working in partnership to achieve. Any event of avoidable brain injury is devastating for the mother, for the families and for all the staff involved. Improving multidisciplinary training is key to improving pregnancy outcomes, equally sharing good practice, and learning from mistakes is crucial. We are confident that the ABC tools and training will equip maternity staff at these pilot sites with the skills they need to ensure best outcomes for both mother and baby”.

Dr Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said: “The ABC programme will help maternity teams to improve safety by giving them the tools, resources and training they need to respond effectively when a baby might be deteriorating during labour and to handle a major obstetric emergency. Including support for teamwork and culture, ABC makes best practice easier and puts those in labour and their birth partners at the centre of their care

Professor Mary Dixon-Woods, Director of The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute, said: “Any effort to improve care must put families at the centre. The ABC programme has been developed in partnership with women, birthing people and their birth partners and reflects the importance of listening, inclusion, and respect as part of keeping those in labour and their babies safe.”

The selected sites participating in the pilot of impacted fetal head during caesarean birth are:

• Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
• Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust
• Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

The selected sites participating in the pilot of detection and response to fetal deterioration are:

• Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
• Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
• St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

If you are a midwife or a clinician working in maternity services  and are interested in finding out more about the ABC Programme and this next phase of work, please register to join our ABC Network.

If you are a member of the public and would like to keep updated on the ABC Programme’s progress you can visit ABC public community for further updates.