Maternity care standards
Document Type
Standards
Summary
We have developed standards for maternity care in Scotland. These standards support a holistic approach to improving and sustaining quality maternity care across Scotland.
This approach aims to ensure that all women/birthing people and their babies who access maternity services, receive consistent, person-centred, compassionate, high-quality care and support, regardless of their individual circumstance or needs.
The standards cover maternity care delivered in all settings, and apply to:
- all women/birthing people experiencing maternity care in Scotland
- all babies receiving core newborn care, until their care is transferred to the universal health visiting service (usually at ten days old)
- care partners, where appropriate, of people experiencing maternity services.
The consultation log report and consultation change report will be made available on request. You can request them from the project team at his.standardsandindicators@nhs.scot.
Overview of standards
Standard 1: Principles of care
NHS boards ensure all women and babies have equitable, high-quality, safe and compassionate maternity care which respects their rights, preferences and choices.
Standard 2: Reducing inequalities
NHS boards actively work to reduce health inequalities and improve outcomes for women and their babies.
Standard 3: Leadership and culture
Maternity services have effective leadership, robust clinical governance and a culture of openness and learning.
Standard 4: Service planning and facilities
NHS boards ensure the effective planning and delivery of safe, high-quality maternity services.
Standard 5: High-performing and functioning teams
Maternity care is delivered by high-performing and functioning multidisciplinary teams.
Standard 6: Antenatal care
NHS boards ensure timely, safe and effective antenatal care.
Standard 7: Intrapartum care
NHS boards ensure timely, safe and effective intrapartum care.
Standard 8: Postnatal and newborn care
NHS boards ensure timely, safe and effective postnatal and newborn care.
Standard 9: Unscheduled, emergency and critical care in maternity services
NHS boards ensure women and babies receive unscheduled, emergency and critical care that is timely, safe and effective.
Standard 10: Mental health and wellbeing: women and their babies
NHS boards ensure women and their babies can access mental health and wellbeing support that is timely, equitable, consistent and trauma-informed.
Standard 11: Loss and bereavement
Women who experience pregnancy or baby loss have compassionate, person-centred, trauma-informed care and support.
Maternity governance standards self-assessment tool
To support the standards, we have published a self-evaluation tool. This tool supports organisations that work with these standards to measure their services against the standards create an improvement plan.
The tool is available on the Right Decisions Service website.
If you have any questions, contact the Standards team at his.standardsandindicators@nhs.scot.