Maternity care

Maternity care

Maternity Care

Maternity services provide safe, comprehensive, effective care and support for mothers, their babies and their families prior to, during and after the birth. The care is provided by trained and qualified staff within appropriate facilities designed around the individual needs of mothers and their newborn. The maternity care is well led by leaders who are accountable for the clinical quality of the services provided and informed by effective quality and information systems.

Staff working in maternity care have competencies which ensure that women with co- morbidities during pregnancy, are provided for within the maternity service. Stand-alone and smaller maternity services ensure safe procedures for the recognition of the unwell mother, fetus and neonate with clearly documented, timely transfer arrangements in place where these may be required.

This standard includes the following:

• Indicators
• Governance and staffing
• Professional practice and training
• Maternity records
• Referral, access and appointments
• Personalised care
• Care pathways
• Clinical risk management
• Delivery and birth
• Resuscitation
• Post-partum care
• Security
• Discharge
• Quality improvement
• Post-partum quality improvement
• Post-partum indicators

The CHKS Standards criteria address these elements through succinct criteria statements that are supported by guidance which helps the organisation understand the intent of the criteria, so that it can be applied in the local context.

Additionally, references are provided to direct further reading on the relevant topic.

Throughout the standards the criteria are linked to key assessment frameworks including ISO 9001, the Care Quality Commission, Quality Statements and the Health Information and Quality Authority, (Ireland) National Standards.