Minutes of the meeting held on 15 April 2008

Present

Bob Dawson, Louise Mitton, Rachel O’Leary, Rosemary Course, Sue Allen-Mills, Victoria Frost, Joanne Brown, Jo Sharman, Anna Richardson, Cheryl France, Lisa McKechie, Sharon Shipp, Wilf Kelsall, Penny Brett, Birte Harlev-Lam

1. Apologies

Apologies were received from: Annie West, Rita Levett, Leslie Kay, Maddie McMahon, Bridget Halnan, Nisrin Marcus, Angela D’Amore, Charlotte Patient.

2. Minutes of Last Meeting and Matters Arising

2.1 JS presented a new flyer re breastfeeding support groups. JS to send to BD for the minutes.
2.2 AGM – Agreed date of 7 October 2008 for AGM at Fields Childrens Centre.
2.3 DARZI – deferred to future meeting.
2.4 East Cambs Representation – LM to confirm email addresses for Leslie Kay.

3. Head of Midwifery Report

BHL – DoH has produced C Section Tool Kit. Rosie has started using it. DoH looking for early implementation. This will result in support from DoH.
MSLC to support? Yes

Stats
• Bookings are on an upward trend
• 2% increase 2006/07 – 07/08
• home births increased by 18% on previous year
• C Section reduced by 3 1/2%
• MLBU increased by 46% over the years 06/07 – 07/08
• Establishment – 28 vacancies:
– new recruits are coming
– permission to over recruit to address turnover
• Infant feeding m/w – re-advertised
• Senior midwife post natal/antenatal
• Resuscitation m/w
• Trust commitment to midwifery is very strong – enabling the HOM to review birth rate and recruit accordingly
• quality indicators – see the report
• MRSA – very low numbers
• Neonatal re-admissions – mainly feeding problems
BHL to send to BD

Penny Brett and C Section
• Prevent first cs – working party to look at who should have
- previous c sections
- no indications medical/obs
• Consultant m/w clinic focuses on planning births outside current guidelines - feedback is very positive for this clinic
• Integrated care pathway in development
• vaginal birth after cs – good success rate, low uptake
• continued obstetric/consultant m/w clinic is optional
• natural birth –
- submitting early adopter bid
- practice development capacity increased
- PB lead role in MLBU
- new build birth centre
• Need to discuss C section and breastfeeding – infant feeding midwife will have a role

4. Perinatal Centre Project

Lisa McKechie in attendance.
LM is reviewing pathway for women and babies updating facilities, addressing facilities that are not fit for purpose.

LM seeking user views as well as staff to input into future vision.

End of February focus group, 25-30 attended. Issues raised:
• Reception areas, especially out of hours, not good – need someone to greet
• Heat in wards
• Parking facilities
• Scan waiting room too small
• No child care facilities/play area in outpatients.

Committee asked for opinions on:
• Positive aspects of service
• What aspects of service could be improved
• 2 things to change - what would be priority

LM will produce service model followed by an options appraisal. MSLC to provide 2 members to assess 7 benefit criteria.

Time frame
• Outline case to Board – 1 July
• Options appraisal – 15 May


Positive Aspects:
• Community neonatal team excellent
• Milk kitchen
• People feel well cared for
• Staffing of a high quality
• Baby checks are done before they go home – very positive
• MLBU is very well thought of as a resource as:
- Emphasis on natural birth
- Midwife led
- Environment is less clinical
- More re-assuring
- Encouraging staff
• NICU
- Cannot praise it highly enough
- Staff excellent

•“birth afterthoughts” service
• psychological support – access postnatally
• Fetal medicine – very professional staff willing to give time to women
• Fetal medicine – very quick to respond
• Homebirths are well supported

Improvements:
• Difficult to get appointments with community midwives, access to scheduled appointments
• No continuity of contact
• Community midwife very busy
• No visits postnatally
• “too busy to see me”

• Fetal medicine
- Staff not as attentive and friendly as needed
- Scan booking telephone very frustrating – could take a long time
• Child care facilities linked to out patients/fetal medicine
• Consistency between obstetricians in terms of birth options
• Staff ratio to mothers too high
• Transfer to other hospitals from SCBU – way it happens and why it happens
• Separation of multiple births in special care units
• Wilf Kelsall reported on proposed changes to neonatal care following the neonatal network review
• Need to communicate clearly with parents, antenatally, as to potential for transfer and separation of special care babies,
• Improve communication re risks and implications for parents.

BHL need to discuss “what ifs”
• How best to highlight information and discuss “what ifs” antenatally
• When would it be best to discuss
• ? discuss this at 36 weeks – this is too late

• PB – need to do brochure re neonatal services and range of services and the potential for transfer
• WK – we will come up with perinatal network
• Need to have enough beds
• Yes, help people to understand the process better
• Need space for dads/siblings in the birth centres

Building
• Postnatal beds need more space
• More pools are needed in MLBU
• MLBU pool is not as good as the delivery suite pool – more cramped
• Awkward lay-out
• Parents rooms near special care cots
• Temperature and circulation of air pool
• Food on ward – needs to be more variety/substantial
• Beds need to be improved

2 things to suggest re-design
• achieve Baby Friendly standard across the community/hospital
• nice environment, not too clinical “safe place to birth”, 5* level
• homeliness, encouraging to families
• milk bank more visible – raise profile of human milk
• parking – near to birth unit

Feedback from other MSLC members – BD to send out LM to send BD the form.

5. Supervisor of Midwives (SoM) leaflet

LM wants to raise profile of the supervisor.
LM referred to the hospital rolling information that will include info on the supervisor.
SoM is an additional quality measure
Each m/w has an allocated supervisor and is available on call
SoM could have a role if a woman wants to change her midwife
SoM provides clinical expertise to help guide and support in complex situations – both for mother and m/w
SoMs are responsible to the SHA
Focus is “standards and protection of mothers and babies”

6. Kingston Baby Guide

Agenda to next meeting

7. NICE Nutrition Guidance

Breast-feeding peer supporters – job for the new nutrition midwife

8. Chairperson Arrangement

SA-M will take this on proposed by ROL, seconded by all.

9. Any Other Business

Hospital Open Day 10 May 2008
B/F awareness week same day.

10. Date and time of next meeting

27 May 2008
12.00pm – 2.00pm
Rosie Seminar Room 4

Minutes

Minutes of the meeting held on 15 April 2008
Minutes of the meeting held on 4 March 2008
Minutes of the meeting held on 8 January 2008