Swansea Bay's maternity service dials up its safety procedures
Dial M for Maternity - Singleton Hospital’s labour ward has installed a direct telephone line to the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST) in order to be alerted to incoming maternity emergencies.
WAST’s ‘red phone’ initiative enables ambulance crews to forewarn maternity units about time-critical obstetric emergencies so that receiving teams are prepared for the patient’s arrival.
The clinician-to-clinician conversations via a dedicated phone line are designed to streamline communication between ambulance crews and hospital staff and further improve the patient’s care.
The initiative has already been introduced to several health boards and is seen as a step forward in improving safety.
Bethan Jones, Perinatal Safety Champion and Midwife at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “Every second counts in an emergency, so the more information we can relay to the maternity unit, the better they can prepare by calling in the right clinicians and organising everything they need to deliver emergency care.
“The red phone enables us to do just that, acting as a single point of access to obstetric units, improving communication which, in turn, will enable us to deliver high-quality and timely care for the patient and their baby.
“The Health Services Safety Investigations Body report published in 2022 underlined the importance of the pre-alert process in time-critical maternity situations, and this work supports a pro-active and system-led approach to developing solutions.”
Kath Greaves, Swansea Bay’s Clinical Director of Midwifery, welcomed the move.
She said: “I’m delighted to see the introduction of the red phone at Swansea Bay in support of our Midwifery, WAST and Obstetric teams to maintain direct dedicated contact in the event of emergencies.
“This enables multi-professional teams to provide timely, safe and appropriate intervention where these are required.
“Having a MDT multi-professional approach to supporting women who experience emergencies in pregnancy and childbirth is a welcome addition to ensure timely and safe care.”
Calls are made by ambulance crews directly to obstetric units via the Consultant Connect app.
Jonathan Patrick, Chief Executive at Consultant Connect, said: “This red phone initiative will mean that hospitals in Wales are well prepared for emergency obstetric situations, giving mothers and their babies the best care possible when they face unexpected problems.
“We have always known that NHS Wales is serious about improving clinical communications, and this is yet another example of how it is improving patient care by making sure clinicians get the information they need in a timely fashion.”
Pictured from left to right: David Williams, WAST, Laura Rose, intrapartum lead midwife, Bethan Jones, patient safety champion for WAS,T and Kate Bannister, lead quality improvement practitioner for maternity services
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