Maternity and neonatal strategic plan released

The three year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services was published on 30 March 2023. This plan from NHS England sets out how the NHS will make maternity and neonatal care safer, more personalised, and more equitable for women, babies, and families.

NHS England engaged a wide range of stakeholders who supported the plan development including women and families who use maternity and neonatal services, maternity and neonatal workforce, service leaders, commissioners, NHS systems, and representatives from Royal Colleges, charities and other organisations.

The plan asks services to concentrate on four high level themes over the next three years:

1. Listening to women and families with compassion which promotes safer care.
2. Supporting our workforce to develop their skills and capacity to provide high-quality care.
3. Developing and sustaining a culture of safety to benefit everyone.
4. Meeting and improving standards and structures that underpin our national ambition.

The North West Workforce Training and Education Directorate will initially focus on Theme 2: Growing, retaining, and supporting our workforce by focusing on key objectives including valuing and retaining our workforce, investing in skills and growing our workforce.

A key commitment is ensuring the right staff and staffing numbers are maintained to provide the best care for women and babies through the local workforce. This will be achieved through local workforce planning, trusts’ commitment to staffing levels and achieving vacancies by 2027/2028.