Maternity improvement resource
Published: 19 September 2024
Page last updated: 19 September 2024
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Board members
What we look for
Well-led
Shared direction and culture
- Does the maternity service have a dedicated vision and strategy, developed with stakeholders and staff which is focused on sustainability of services and aligned to local plans within the wider health economy?
- Describe how the maternity service leadership raise concerns, celebrate success and routinely report to the board?
- How do you demonstrate check and challenge of the service?
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
- How does the board maintain visibility in the clinical areas and use this visibility to feedback to board and sense-check against data presented at board?
- How does the board hear about staff vacancy rates, sickness rates, other leave impacting the team, for medical and all grades of midwifery staff?
Freedom to speak up
- What has the board been made aware of as a result of staff giving feedback or speaking up?
- How do you encourage staff to raise concerns and demonstrate actions taken as a result?
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
- Describe the board oversight of the culture of the maternity service.
- Are there any actions reflective of the findings of the trust staff survey results?
- Including but not limited to protected characteristics and bullying and harassment?
- How reflective of the population is the workforce and what steps are being taken to address any shortfalls?
Governance, management and sustainability
- Describe how relevant information is escalated to the board from the trust quality and safety committee.
- How are the board made aware of the risk registers and maternity red flag responses, compliance with Maternity Incentive scheme and the audit programme?
- To what extend is maternity service included on the board assurance framework?
- How do leaders report maternity service staffing to the board (this includes the use of bank, agency and locums; planned versus actual for labour ward, postnatal, antenatal, antenatal clinical, triage, maternity assessment/maternity day unit and community staffing; specialist and supernumerary roles)?
- How do the maternity service safety and quality outcomes compare nationally?
Partnerships and communities
- How do senior leaders engage with relevant partners for maternity services?
Learning, improvement and innovation
- What recent improvements have there been to the service?
- How do you ensure that multiple opportunities are available for staff to learn?
The importance of people's experience
- Do you receive patient stories at board from those with direct experience of the maternity service?