Better Births, Baroness Cumberledge’s National Maternity Review was published by NHS England in February 2016 and sets out how the NHS can develop services to provide women with higher quality, safer and more personalised care, as well as how to improve postnatal care and perinatal mental health services. The Clinical Network is working closely with providers and partners such as the perinatal mental network, operational delivery networks (ODNs), the Academic Health Science Network and Public Health England to support the implementation of the recommendations made in Better Births.

The report outlines a vision for the future of maternity services: “Our vision for maternity services across England is for them to become safer, more personalised, kinder, professional and more family friendly; where every woman has access to information to enable her to make decisions about her care; and where she and her baby can access support that is centred around their individual needs and circumstances. And for all staff to be supported to deliver care which is woman centred, working in high performing teams, in organisations which are well led and in cultures which promote innovation, continuous learning, and break down organisational and professional boundaries.”