Twins Trust works with maternity units across the UK so families expecting twins, triplets or more receive the right level of clinical care.
We've worked with more than 50 units since the project began.
What the Maternity Engagement Project aims to do
The aim is to improve outcomes for multiple pregnancies by supporting care that's delivered consistently and in line with national guidance. This includes NICE guideline NG137 and NICE quality standard QS46.
Following NICE guideline NG137 is shown to improve outcomes for multiple birth families. Adoption of this standard has proven to not only be an indicator of good practice but has shown to help reduce stillbirths, neonatal admissions, neonatal deaths and emergency C-section rates.
Case study: Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital
The Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital in Belfast was one of the first hospitals to sign up for the Maternity Engagement Project.
How the project works with your unit
We work with a team of specialist midwives who visit maternity units and complete an audit to assess current practice. We then create an action plan to support improvements in care.
Support is provided throughout the year, alongside access to a wide range of resources. After 12 months, we carry out a re-audit to review what's changed and the impact. We then produce a final re-audit document and a bespoke action plan for your team to take forward internally.
What units have seen so far
Our report, 'NICE Works II: Transforming maternity care for multiples', found that three years after starting the project, units saw:
Rates of multiple stillbirths and neonatal deaths in multiple births both decline by 0.3 percentage points
Rate of multiple neonatal admissions fall by 10.4 percentage points
Emergency caesarean sections in multiple births fall by 6.7 percentage points
A statistically significant improvement in overall adherence to NICE QS46 of 16.4 percentage points
Additional benefits for maternity units
Taking part can also support delivery of the Saving Babies' Lives Care Bundle version two objectives. It can help with compliance with safety action six in the Maternity Incentive Scheme. Over time, it can support further reductions in stillbirths, neonatal deaths, neonatal admissions and emergency caesarean sections.
Thank you to the Maternity Engagement Team at Twins Trust for all your hard work in undertaking such a comprehensive nationwide audit to help improve the outcomes for women and their families expecting multiples. The audit gave us the impetus to evaluate where we were, with the help of the initial audit. We then made changes and developments to our practice, care plans and documentation. Overall, we were delighted with the very positive report, so thank you very much.
Unit 3
Making change for the better
Our approach focuses on working in partnership with maternity units. We offer coaching and practical resources to support change in line with national guidance. We'll work with you to understand what's getting in the way and identify solutions that fit your service. This is an exciting and innovative opportunity to plan, deliver and sustain improvements in practice.
How to take part
We're urging all units to join the next phase of the Maternity Engagement Project. Email us for more information or for an informal chat about what taking part could look like for your unit.
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