Archive for March, 2008

Daily Express

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/38734/Maternity-hospitals-turn-away-women-in-labour

Ask a Mum
http://www.askamum.co.uk/News/News-Search-Results/General/Maternity-units-closing-the-door-to-mums-/

March 31, 2008 at 12:44 pm Leave a comment

NICE Guidelines March 2008

MIDIRS NCT Statement on NICE Guidelines:
http://www.midirs.org/midirs/midweb1.nsf/Z45/C38CC8D652AEFB6580257418003A9906

Daily Mail. Alcohol in pregnancy:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=545474&in_page_id=1774&ct=5

Mirror.co.uk Alcohol in pregnancy:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/yourlife/2008/03/27/is-booze-a-danger-to-unborn-babies-can-someone-please-decide-89520-20364507/

Telegraph. Alcohol during pregnancy:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/26/nalcohol126.xml

March 31, 2008 at 12:14 pm Leave a comment

Press Coverage 24th – 30th March 2008

Bounty News. 25th March 2008. Increase in home births:
http://www.bounty.com/Awareness-of-home-births-increasing-in-UK.news/18521221

March 30, 2008 at 12:00 pm Leave a comment

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issues new guidance on diet and nutrition to help give babies and toddles the best start in life

The NICE guidance advises those who work with pregnant women and mothers on how to help them make decisions about their diet and lifestyle that will keep them healthy and give their babies the best start in life. NICE calls for national consistency in the quality and quantity of support available to help address disparities in the nutrition of mothers and young children from low-income and other disadvantaged groups compared with the general population.

The public health guidance is based on evidence showing how all those who work with families can support mothers in changing their own and their child’s eating habits, thus increasing their chances of a healthy life. It makes recommendations relevant from conception to five years of age. Advice to health professionals includes; making people aware of the Healthy Start Scheme; providing practical and tailored advice on healthy eating through pregnancy and in the early years; advising on vitamin supplements and; setting up easily accessible breastfeeding peer support programmes

March 28, 2008 at 11:59 am 1 comment

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) publishes new guidelines on Diabetes in Pregnancy

NICE and the National Collaborating Centre for Women’s and Children’s Health have issued guidance which provides clear and consistent advice to doctors and midwives on how to help women with diabetes manage their condition when they are preparing to conceive, after they have given birth and in the cycle towards their next pregnancy

The guideline recommends that women with pre-existing diabetes should access specialist services prior to conception and be given advice on the importance of planning their pregnancy. It also highlights the importance of providing information to women on staying healthy during pregnancy such as by maintaining proper glycaemic control and taking folic acid to help minimize the risks.

March 28, 2008 at 11:18 am Leave a comment

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) publishes updated Guidelines on Antenatal Care

NICE and the National Collaborating Centre for Women’s and Children’s Health have issued updated advice on the care that should be offered to women during their pregnancy. It recommends that midwives and doctors provide women with evidence-based information about a range of key issues such as the risks and benefits of screening tests and lifestyle advice so they can make decisions that are right for them and their baby. This advice is an update of the original document published in 2003, revising areas where new information has become available.

The guideline includes recommendations for doctors and midwives on the advice they should give to pregnant women about drinking alcohol. These recommendations are consistent with the advice issued in 2007 by the UK Chief Medical Officers and include avoiding drinking alcohol in the first 3 months of pregnancy, drinking no more that 1 – 2 UK units once or twice a week and not getting drunk or binge drinking during pregnancy (drinking more than 7.5 UK units on a single occasion).

Other recommendations include informing women about the importance of Vitamin D during pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding, offering screening for sickle cell diseases and thalassaemias as early as possible, screening for gestational diabetes, and offering screening for Down’s syndrome within the recommended time frame.

March 28, 2008 at 11:17 am 1 comment

Tories release worrying figures on maternity unit closures

Figures released this week show that more than 40% of the 103 trusts that responded to a survey, had to shut the doors of their maternity units or divert women to other sites at least once during 2007, with one trust reporting 28 closures. The results of the survey, carried out by the Tories, suggested that larger maternity units were more at risk of having to close. Of those trusts that had to turn women away, 74% had more than 3,000 births last year. Responding to the figures, the Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley criticised the tendency towards concentrating maternity services in larger units at the expense of smaller ones.

March 20, 2008 at 1:21 pm 1 comment

Ann Keen stresses importance of Child Health Promotion Programme in children’s health

Health Minister, Ann Keen, is calling upon Health Commissioners to make the updated Child Health Promotion Programme a priority in their local area, asserting that the initiative could be a useful tool in meeting local obligations on breast feeding, obesity prevention and infant mortality. The aim of the scheme, included in the Children’s Plan announced last December, is to provide tailored services to the individual needs of children and families, as well as acting as a best practice guide for health and social services. The programme also places greater emphasis on promoting the health and wellbeing of children early, and encourages partnership working between different agencies on local service development.

March 20, 2008 at 1:14 pm 2 comments

David Cameron announces Tory commitment to a universal health visiting service

Making the keynote speech to the Conservative Spring Forum, David Cameron promised to double the current number of health visitors, to provide a universal support service for new mothers at home. He said the new positions would be funded using money currently earmarked by the Government for untrained Sure Start outreach workers claiming that resources should be invested in trained experts as the decline in the number of trained health workers was creating serious problems in children’s health. The announcement was one of a raft of family-friendly policies, emphasising the conservative commitment to supporting families. Cameron named families “the most important institution in the country” and pledged to give parents the right to twelve months leave after the birth of a child, to share between them as they choose, and to reward marriage in the tax system.

March 20, 2008 at 12:58 pm 1 comment

Scottish First Minister launches new Early Years Policy Statement

The Scottish Executive has announced its new Early Years policy aimed at identifying vulnerable mums-to-be and supporting them through pregnancy and their child’s early years in order to tackle cycles of inequality, deprivation and ill health.

The new approach will focus on helping young and vulnerable pregnant women plan for motherhood, identifying risks early, putting intensive support in place and promoting health messages. The policy aims to encourage more integrated childcare services, to make it easier for parents, and provide continuity of care for children as well as encouraging communities to foster positive opportunities for all children. Efforts will also be made to strengthen parenting capacity through the health, education and social services.

March 20, 2008 at 12:52 pm Leave a comment

Older Posts

NCT Watch