NCT Watch

Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, has today announced plans to provide former midwives with a £3,000 ‘golden handshake’ to encourage them to return to work after a break in service as part of a package of measures to recruit an extra 4,000 midwives to the NHS over the next three years.

The DoH is also to launch a Return to Practice campaign in the summer, with incentives including free training, support with childcare and travel costs plus a grant of up to £1,500.

The NCT welcomes the Government’s plans to recruit an extra 4,000 midwives to the NHS over the next three years. Additional resources to attract qualified midwives back to the profession will provide the basis for more continuity of carer, access to real choices, and provision of support and clinical care which is crucial for all families.

The NCT believes all women should have supportive, one to one midwifery care throughout labour and this currently isn’t happening. Investment in extra midwives will go towards addressing this need and will help to keep labour and birth normal. Investment will also help to deliver on the Government’s Maternity Matters objectives and on NICE recommendations, and improve the safety and quality of maternity care overall.

NHS QIS standard 3B2 on routine ultrasound scanning before 24 weeks of pregnancy states that all women should receive two routine antenatal scans, an early dating scan and an anomaly scan. However, not all women in Scotland are currently receiving this standard of care. In response to a written question from Ross Finnie MSP, Shona Robison, the Minister for Public Health announced last week that four of the fourteen NHS boards do not offer a fetal anomaly scan at 18 to 20 weeks as a matter of routine. 

This week the House of Lords debated government regulations designed to implement an EU directive on the labeling and marketing of formula milks. The current regulations introduce stricter controls on the on the advertising of infant formula milk by restricting formula companies’ ability to promote infant formula under the guise of follow-on formula and prohibiting adverts which make a direct comparison between formula milk and breastmilk. Crossbencher, Baroness Finlay, who led the debate initially called for the regulations to be annulled stating that the proposed regulations did not go far enough to promote breastfeeding to new mothers. She stated that formula should be a fallback option only and called for clear advice on how to safely prepare it.  However, she went on to say that Mothers who cannot breastfeed should not feel stigmatized and women who need to use formula should know how to use it safely. The Conservative Shadow Home Office Minister, Baroness Hanham claimed the implementation of the regulations  had been unnecessarily rushed, not giving manufacturers enough time to change labels.  She questioned why the Government had not waited like other countries. 

The Government Whip said that the Government’s central ambition was to protect and promote breastfeeding and that the government had a duty to protect babies who are bottle-fed with a priority on clear labeling. She went on to say that the government would consider further action if it became clear that there was a need for further legislation to restrict formula milk advertising.

The NCT believe that all parents need reliable information on all the different methods of baby feeding - this information should be clear, accurate and based on research evidence, so that parents have the opportunity to make informed decisions. However some formula milk manufacturers are still illegally advertising formula milk for babies under six months by taking advantage of loopholes in the law. To end this practice, we are calling for a complete advertising ban to close these legal loopholes and protect children and their parents.  Visit www.nct.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/campaigning/formula-advertising to find out more about the NCT’s campaign for a full and effective ban on formula milk advertising.

This week Mr B McElduff asked the Minister of Finance and Personnel to detail the infant mortality rates for children living in areas of social deprivation.  Mr Robsinson responded by revealing figures which show that whilst infant death rates are only 3.7/1000 in the least deprived decile of society, they are 6.4/1000 in the most deprived decile of society. These figures show a direct correlation between infant mortality and poverty. The NCT is a member of the campaign to End Child Poverty. To find out more about the NCT’s support for the campaign to End Child Poverty visit www.nct.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/campaigning/parenthood.

In response to a written question, Brian Gibbons, Minister for Social Justice and Local Government has confirmed hat 28 per cent of children living in Wales are living in poverty.  This compares to 29 per cent in England, 25 per cent in Scotland and 27 per cent in Northern Ireland.  The UK government has pledged to eradicate child poverty by 2020.  To find out more about the NCT’s support for the campaign to End Child Poverty visit www.nct.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/campaigning/parenthood.

Following January’s announcement that maternity services in England are to receive £330 million in extra funding over the next three years, Ann Keen Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health has stated that Trusts will have access to this money in April. The extra funding was announced in response to the Healthcare Commission review of maternity services which found a startling North South divide in the quality of maternity services provision with 70 per cent of London Trusts being rated “least well performing”.

Ofsted have published a report examining the impact of Sure Start children’s centres and extended schools on children and young people from birth to 19 and their families.  Schools reported positive effects in children joining them from children’s centres and individuals could be seen to have benefited from provision but it appears that uncertainties about long-term funding affected planning for, and the sustainability of, many children’s centres.

Only a small minority of schools and children’s centres were gathering evidence to evaluate outcomes and local authorities are not supporting them sufficiently in this.

In addition, the report states that both types of provider need to be more active in reaching out to groups, including fathers and some minority ethnic groups, who are less likely to access the services available. A fully copy of the report is available to download from http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/070021.

Last week, the Department of Health announced £150,000 of extra funding for a National Breastfeeding Helpline in order to provide breastfeeding mothers with reassurance, support and practical help in a bid to help them breastfeed for longer and tackle rising levels of childhood obesity. The Helpline is intended to promote breastfeeding to mothers, an aim which was announced with the publication of “Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives”, the government’s strategy for tackling obesity in January. The Minister for Public Health, Dawn Primarolo also announced £240,000 in support of National Breastfeeding Awareness, which she identified as a key activity in the promotion of breastfeeding.

The Department of Health is providing resources to support National Breastfeeding Awareness Week, including pens, key rings, lanyards, diary covers, post it notes and fridge magnets, will be available from late March free of charge by NCT branches.  For more information on how to access these resources, or to find out how you can get involved in Breastfeeding Awareness Week contact the NCT’s Campaigns Support Officer on 0208 752 2332.

The motion “I love my smoke-free childhood” has been passed by the Scottish Parliament. The motion was lodged in support of the World Health Organisation and International Union Against Cancer “I love my smoke free childhood” campaign which encourages mothers not to smoke while pregnant and warn their children of the dangers of passive smoking. The motion also notes that passive smoking increases the risk of cot death, low birth weight in babies and childhood illness and that it is estimated that 700 million children regularly breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke.

SDLP Equality Spokesperson Dolores Kelly MLA has commented on a Save the Children report which reveals that Northern Ireland has double the rate of persistent child poverty than other parts of the UK stating that “levels of child poverty across the North are reaching crisis levels” and pointed out that at present there is no distinct budget set aside to tackle the problem of poverty, including child poverty, in the North. She challenged the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister to deliver a focussed strategy for dealing with child poverty, with clear target setting, monitoring, and evaluation. The report showed that 21 per cent of children in Northern Ireland are living in long term poverty