The NHS has appointed England’s first Chief Midwife to improve care for new and expectant mothers and their children and promote safer births as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, announced today that Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent will be the first to take on the new role, to […]
A pioneering advice line staffed by midwives has seen tens of thousands of new and expectant mothers get guidance on labour, breastfeeding, sleep and other health problems. Women can get advice over the phone 24 hours a day, 365 days per year from the Surrey Heartlands Pregnancy Advice Line. The dedicated phone line is one […]
Problem drinkers and smokers who end up in hospital will be helped by dedicated new services as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. As part of new NHS prevention measures, people who are alcohol dependent will be helped by new Alcohol Care Teams, while more than half a million patients who smoke, including pregnant […]
Weight worries and pregnancy are among the health concerns that drive thousands of people to seek medical advice on Christmas Day, new data shows. They are among the most popular searches on NHS.uk, the NHS’s official website, on December 25 in recent years. More than people searched information on pregnancy on Christmas Day. With traditional […]
Spinal surgery for spina bifida for babies in the womb is among new, innovative treatments that will be routinely available on the NHS for the first time, NHS England announced today. The cutting edge procedure for unborn children with spina bifida, whose spine and spinal cord do not develop properly, allows pregnant women to be […]
New and expectant fathers will be offered mental health checks and treatment under radical action to support families, NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens announced today (2 December 2018). In the landmark move, the partners of pregnant women and new mothers who are themselves suffering from anxiety, depression or more severe disorders such as psychosis […]
Evaluation shows clinical improvements across 19 sites led to maternity staff helping to save more than 160 babies’ lives. An estimated 600 stillbirths annually could be prevented if maternity units adopt national best practice says NHS England. Clinical improvements such as better monitoring of a baby’s growth and movement in pregnancy, as well as better […]
NHS England has confirmed that new and expectant mums will be able to access specialist perinatal mental health community services in every part of the country by April next year. The health service is now spending £23 million rolling out the second wave of community perinatal services to underserved parts of the country and is […]
England’s top midwife today praised the ‘extraordinary’ role of midwives who have delivered more than 50 million babies over the last seven decades and urged young people to consider the “uniquely rewarding” career. In the run-up to the NHS’s 70th birthday, Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent urged midwives and parents to share their stories, showing support for […]
Valentine’s Day romance leads to a jump in pregnancies, new figures from NHS England show. With love in the air, there was a 5 per cent rise in conceptions around the most romantic day of the year, according to the data gathered to help the NHS provide the best possible care for mums-to-be and their […]