Maternity improvement resource

What we look for

Safe

Learning culture

• How have you learnt about different outcomes for women and babies with protected characteristics?
  • Is this included in PROMPT, skills and drills and if so, how?
• How are equality characteristics recorded in all clinical records?
• Can you give examples of how learning about inequalities has led to a change in the service you provide?
• Is there a commitment to improving safety for those with equality characteristics at all levels in the organisation?

Safe systems pathways and transitions

• What action has been taken by the service to reduce safety risks for those with equality characteristics?

Involving people to manage risks

• How are risk assessments used to support the care of women and babies with equality characteristics?
• How are the preferences and choices, including religious and cultural preferences, of those who use services respected, and where possible incorporated into care?

Effective

Assessing needs

• Are care plans personalised to include individual needs and choices for care and treatment including pain relief?

Monitoring and improving outcomes

• How do staff record health inequalities data in incident reviews and how is data interrogated and trends monitored?

Consent to care and treatment:

• How do you ensure women receive information about care and treatment being offered or recommended in a way they can understand before giving consent?
• Are interpretation services always offered, even where a family member would be able to translate?

Responsive

Care provision, integration and continuity

• How do you support women and families with additional healthcare needs? These could include:
  • people with a learning disability,
  • people whose preferred or known language is not English
  • people with sensory loss for hearing or sight
  • people who have mobility issues
  • people with mental health needs and risks associated with safeguarding.

Providing information

• What information and advice are available to meet individual communication needs?
• How do you ensure that individual communication needs are fully recorded and shared across the maternity pathway?

Well-led

Shared direction and culture

• How are you supported to have a detailed knowledge of equality, diversity and human rights?

Governance management and sustainability

• What data is discussed in your safety huddles and meetings about equality characteristics?

Listening to and involving people

• Is feedback sought from people with protected characteristics and how have any findings influenced changes in your service?
• Is health inequality on your maternity service’s risk register?