‘When women access services before and between pregnancies, opportunities should be taken to improve health behaviours and manage long-term Health conditions ’ (NHSIR 2018)
Current national legislation such as Saving Babies Lives clearly identified the need to improve women’s safety in relation to lifestyle choices and behaviour in order to reduce stillbirths, neonatal deaths, brain injuries and maternal morbidity and mortality.
In WY&H LMS we have undertaken a Maternity Needs assessment which provides data and intelligence to support the need for further exploration with women around lifestyle, safety and how we can improve and transform services across the system to effectively meet their needs. Services that are equitable and accessible across the system.
Some of the key findings from the WY&H LMS needs assessment include:
- Deprivation - 19% of WY population live in the most deprived IMD decile (compared with 10% UK wide).
- Ethnic Minorities - High Ethnic minorities in some areas (need for specialised access and education)
- Greater Low birth weight babies (bigger need for education interventions)
- Higher than average Infant mortality
- Higher than average stillbirths
- Much higher smoking at both booking and delivery (bigger need for education interventions)
- Worse Initiation of breastfeeding (bigger need for education interventions)
- High numbers of women with a raised BMI
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity System has developed a Public Health Action Plan to understand the responsibilities within the system and between settings where the risks to women’s health, wellbeing and safety are the greatest, identifying where women maybe falling through the gaps in the current system and how these will be addressed.
The plan will be delivered via the Maternity Public Health Steering Group, Public Health Midwife Network and a number of expert groups, to improve the health outcomes for women and babies during pregnancy.
- The expert groups will focus on:
- Smoking in Pregnancy
- Screening & Immunisations
- Alcohol & Drugs
- Maternal Nutrition and Infant Feeding
- Nurturing & Parenting
- Reproductive Health
- Physical Activity
For further information please contact Emmerline Irving, Manager for Prevention and Maternity Public Health: Emmerline.
Emotional wellbeing in pregnancy and parenthood
Improving perinatal mental health services is a key priority as set out in both Better Births – the national maternity review 2016; and the Long term Plan for the NHS 2019.
One in four mothers suffers from mental health problems during pregnancy or in the first year after childbirth, and it is estimated that 5-10% fathers experience mental health difficulties during this time. Whilst maternal mortality has declined progressively over time, to a level of nine deaths per 100,000 maternities in the UK 23% of these deaths were from mental health related causes, with one in seven dying through suicide. There has been massive investment in perinatal mental health services recently.
We are working together, as one system, to ensure that parents who need help and support with their mental health receive the right care at the right time, close to their home.