Issue - meetings

Fay Baillie, Divisional Director of Nursing and Midwifery, presented the Local Maternity System Board (LMS) Plan. As part of the Governance arrangements, all participating organisations needed to be happy with the plan before it went to the National Team.

The LMS was part of the Sustainability and Transformation Plan and was organised on the same footprint. The Secretary of State had an ambition to reduce the numbers of still births, neonatal deaths and maternal deaths through the strategy 'Better Births'. Unlike the STP the LMS was part of statute but reported through the STP.

Information from public health had been used to create the plan. The plan looked at issues such as why the population were getting more obese, smoking in pregnancy and why Worcestershire was an outlier for small birth weight babies and caesarean sections. Pre-conception care also needed to be done better.

The next steps involved putting a project plan together with timelines and an implementation strategy.

During the discussion the following points were made:

·       The maternity pathway was broader than just the birthing phase and although the plan reflected the importance of antenatal care and support after birth this would need to be further strengthened as plans develop,

·       Public Health and the County Council were pleased to be involved in the plan and County Midwifery services and Children's services were working together more closely. In future there would be a second strand of work concerning vulnerable children and getting the right support for them in the community, Making sure that community assets to support vulnerable families are strengthened,

·       An experimental hub had been started in Kidderminster as an antenatal group but had expanded and now operated as a drop in breast feeding clinic, weight management support group and held coffee mornings and support sessions. The next hub to be organised would be in Evesham and would offer whatever support was needed in that area,

·       This was the first example of a detailed STP programme area, which operated on the Herefordshire and Worcestershire footprint, reporting to the Board. Differences in approach between Hereford and Worcestershire had been identified and peer reviews were happening so both areas received the same level of challenge and were able to learn from each other,

·       It was suggested that members should consider whether all reports should contain a section on patient involvement and co-production,

·       It was clarified that the LMS would be seen by Herefordshire HWB as well as Worcestershire's Board,

RESOLVED that the Health and Well-being Board approved the Local Maternity System Board Plan in principle, subject to the comments above, having received and reviewed the plan on behalf of Worcestershire.