Pregnant women with serious medical problems will now have access to specialist treatment centres across the country. The 17 new centres of excellence will help women with pre-existing medical conditions, or conditions that arise during pregnancy to quickly get the extra care they might need. As part of the NHS commitment to halve the maternal […]

Midwives and other NHS staff have helped almost 15,000 mums-to-be in England quit smoking over just three years, new analysis shows today. Latest figures show that the smoking rate for pregnant women at the time of birth fell to 9.1% in 2021-22, the lowest annual rate on record, and down from 10.6% prior to the […]

England’s top doctor and the Chief Nurse for England have been recognised alongside dozens of healthcare staff in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Honours List. Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director since 2018 and a doctor for 37 years, has been knighted for his services to the NHS, particularly for his role leading the response […]

NHS England has confirmed that Donna Ockenden has been appointed as Chair of the new independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. In a letter to families affected today, NHS Chief Operating Officer Sir David Sloman confirmed that Donna Ockenden has accepted the role of chair of the rapid review. The […]

Up to 500 new midwives from around the world are set to join maternity teams across the country under a new NHS England initiative. As part of the NHS’s Maternity Workforce programme and its new Maternity International Recruitment Programme, midwives have been recruited from various countries, including Jamaica, Zimbabwe, Italy, India and the Philippines and […]

A life-saving test that allows doctors to spot a rare form of eye cancer in babies in the womb is being rolled out by the NHS in England this week. Now, thanks to a new NHS test developed at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, babies identified as being at risk of developing retinoblastoma […]

The NHS in England has today announced a £127 million funding boost for maternity services across England that will help ensure safer and more personalised care for women and their babies. Announced at the NHS England board meeting today, the NHS said that the major investment will boost the workforce and help improve the culture in […]

Midwives with years of service will be encouraged to support the next generation of maternity staff, the NHS announced today. The £8 million scheme could see experienced midwifery professionals act as mentors for new or returning midwives, with newly created positions across maternity units nationwide, England’s Chief Midwife said today. These new positions would see […]

The NHS is encouraging pregnant women to get the COVID-19 vaccine as new data shows that nearly 20 per cent of the most critically ill COVID patients are pregnant women who have not been vaccinated. Since July, one in five COVID patients receiving treatment through a special lung-bypass machine were expectant mums who have not […]

A same-day life-saving test to rule out a potentially fatal disease in pregnant women is being rolled out across the NHS. Known as placental growth factor (PLGF) testing, the new blood test is the first of its kind in the world to rule out pre-eclampsia – a life-threatening condition for both pregnant women and their […]