Maternity and neonatal care - Best Start five-year plan 2017–2024: report
This report provides insight into the key actions and achievements that have been delivered during the lifetime of the Best Start.
Summary
This report provides insight into the key actions and achievements that have been delivered during the lifetime of the Best Start. Achieving the Best Start vision has led to changes in the maternity and neonatal care which is offered to families in Scotland, and to the data systems, networks, transport services, education, and training which underpin this care. Some recommendations are still being delivered, and this report also presents some of the challenges national and local bodies have faced in implementation.
76 recommendations were made in the Best Start: 30 for implementation by NHS Health Boards, 43 for implementation by national bodies, and 3 recommendations were divided into a national and a local delivery workstream.
The timescale for delivery of 73 recommendations was by June 2024. Continuity of carer (Recommendation 1), the New Model of Neonatal Intensive Care (Recommendation 45) and National Bereavement Care Pathways (Recommendation 41) have longer delivery timelines.
Fifty-five recommendations (including the local delivery workstreams of the three recommendations which were divided into local and national delivery) are complete. 13 recommendations were reported as achievable within the relevant timeframe, 10 were reported as either achieveable with additional support or outwith the timeframe, and one was reported as challenging to deliver.
The recommendations implemented and still being delivered will remain part of the maternity and neonatal care services provided in Scotland.
The graphic below displays this data:
55: Complete
13: Achievable within timeframes
10: Achievable within timeframes with additional support or will be achieved outwith timeframes
1: Challenging to deliver
A national framework for learning from adverse events through reporting and review has been published.
The Scottish Perinatal Network has been set up, improving collaboration between maternity and neonatal services.
In October 2023 a new Scottish Pregnancy, Births and Neonatal Data Dashboard was introduced.
A directory of ‘first point of contact’ numbers for each obstetric unit to support the ScotStar In-Utero Coordination and facilitate safer transfers.
All Boards in Scotland have registered for the Bliss Baby Charter, the leading UK accreditation programme for neonatal units. Two units have achieved gold accreditation.
All 14 Boards are now officially signed up the National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP), have appointed an NBCP lead and are at different stages of implementation.
All Boards have established psychological services referral pathways, so parents can be referred to third sector support services.
The Young Patient Family Fund (YPFF) was set up to provide financial assistance for parents, primary carers, and siblings during a baby’s neonatal stay.
In 2023/24 £2,923,657 of support was provided to eligible families.