CEPS

Clinical Effectiveness Programme for Scotland

CNORIS

Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme

CRAG

The Clinical Resource and Audit Group

CSBS

The Clinical Standards Board for Scotland

CSO

Chief Scientist's Office

GROS

The General Register Office for Scotland

HEBS

The Health Education Board for Scotland

ISD

The Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency

NBS

The National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Scotland

NHSB

National Health Service Boards

NMPDU

Nursing and Midwifery Practice Development Unit

RARARI

The Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative

RCGP

The Royal College of General Practitioners

RCM

The Royal College of Midwives

RCN

The Royal College of Nursing

RCOG

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

RCPCH

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

SAS

The Scottish Ambulance Service

SCPMDE

The Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education

SEHD

The Scottish Executive Health Department

SGPC

The Scottish General Practitioners Committee

SIWPG

The Scottish Integrated Workforce Planning Group

SPCERH

The Scottish Programme for Clinical Effectiveness in Reproductive Health

Further work to be undertaken

Target date

Responsibility

National Group to be set up to implement the Framework.

Spring 2001

SEHD

Performance Management Framework to be used to assess implementation of the Framework.

Spring 2001

SEHD

Work to define suitable workforce planning models for maternity services.

Autumn 2001

SEHD through SIWPG

The development of an assessment sheet to guide discussion with women about folic acid, diet, smoking, drugs and alcohol.

Autumn 2001

SEHD and HEBS

Guidance for all Health Professionals on Domestic Violence in pregnancy

Summer 2001

SEHD

An Expert Advisory Group on Caesarean Section will report and account should be taken of its findings and recommendations.

Spring 2001

SEHD and SPCERH

Professional roles and the content of the neonatal screening and surveillance programme should be considered following the review of the "Health for All Children" report.

Spring 2001

A multi-professional group led by SEHD

Implementation of the "Breastfeeding and Returning to Work" Report (2000) to be audited.

Autumn 2001

SEHD

Review of the content, effectiveness and timing of the 6-week postnatal examination.

Autumn 2001

A multi-professional group led by SEHD

Development of a national standardised woman-held maternity record. This may eventually employ smart cards or other electronic systems.

Spring 2002

A multi-professional working group led by SEHD

Establishment of a National Forum for parent support and education co-ordinators to make sure innovation and good practice is shared.

Spring 2002

SEHD

Consideration to be given to commissioning work relating to the accuracy and validity of risk assessment in maternity care.

Winter 2002/ Spring 2003

SEHD, the Royal Colleges, CEPS within CRAG and CNORIS

Future research priorities identified for maternity services should reflect the multi-disciplinary, multi-professional, cross-agency approach.

Autumn 2001

SEHD and CSO

The review of the Transport of Critically Ill Neonates being undertaken will inform whether there is a need for a Scotland-wide Framework for neonatal transfers.

Spring 2001

SEHD

Maternity and Neonatal Services information and data collection should be reviewed in conjunction with the work of the Child Health Information Group.

Spring 2001

SEHD and ISD

The emergency transfer needs of mothers, their babies and their partners should be addressed.

Autumn 2001

Multi-professional Working Group led by SEHD

Identification of a senior person at Director level to ensure implementation of the Framework.

Spring 2001

NHSB

Review of current service provision for women with postnatal depression and other mental illness with a view to developing regional mother and baby units.

Autumn 2002

NHSB

Teams to be set up to implement the Framework locally.

Spring 2001

NHSB

Maternity strategies to be developed in line with this Framework

Spring 2004

NHSB

Current maternity strategies to be audited against this Framework and shortfalls in provision implemented

Spring 2002

NHSB

Regional Planning for Maternity Services should be developed.

Autumn 2001

NHSB

Links should be developed to facilitate short-term professional exchanges between urban and rural areas so that skills of all clinicians are maintained and updated.

Autumn 2001

NHSB

Consideration to be given to the special requirement for continuous professional development for all professional groups in remote and rural areas.

Spring 2002

NHSB

A locum bank of suitably skilled professionals should be developed to meet the needs of those in remote and rural areas requiring clinical updates, annual leave and other eventualities.

Spring 2002

NHSB

Incentives to encourage professionals to remote and rural areas.

Spring 2002

NHS Trusts

Women, and their partners, who do not attend parent education and support sessions should be identified and the reasons analysed.

Autumn 2001

NHS Trusts

Existing communication tools and training mechanisms should be reviewed and changes made and implemented.

Autumn 2001

NHS Trusts

Criteria should be developed for the management of clinical situations requiring a rapid air or land ambulance response.

Summer 2001

NHS Trusts and the SAS

Development of 24-hour fixed wing and helicopter air ambulance services.

Spring 2001

SAS

A national database of evidence based practice pertaining to maternity services should continue to be developed and maintained.

Ongoing. Review annually in Spring

CEPS, the Royal Colleges and NMPDU

Consideration should be given to the core multi-professional, multi-disciplinary skills required for practice in remote and rural areas.

Spring 2002

The Royal Colleges, the NBS, SCPMDE and RARARI

Undergraduate medical, midwifery and nursing students should experience the challenges of maternity service provision in a remote and rural setting.

Winter 2003/ Spring 2004

The Universities, SCPMDE and NBS

Educational establishments should consider the development of a course in the theory of neonatal nursing so that nurses and midwives have appropriate knowledge to begin practical neonatal nursing to improve the quality of care.

Spring 2002

RCM, RCN, NBS to enter into discussions with educational establishments

Standards to be developed to enable monitoring and auditing of the implementation of the principles and local action.

Winter 2001/ Spring 2002

CSBS

Work to address Scotland-specific future population projections should be undertaken to include deprivation category projections. This work should highlight implications that revised population projections may have for maternity services.

Summer 2001

ISD and GROS

Research should be undertaken addressing how to facilitate a culture shift in attitudes to breastfeeding and to improve uptake of breastfeeding.

Spring 2002

HEBS and CSO

Maternity services should be considered as a specific project under the Scottish Telemedicine Initiative.

Spring 2001

RARARI