Staff-led change leads to safer maternity care at Whipps Cross
Midwives and doctors at Whipps Cross Hospital now have instant access to equipment to help women who experience emergencies while giving birth.
Cord prolapse is an emergency birthing complication where the umbilical cord comes out before the baby’s head, limiting the amount of blood supply and oxygen to the baby. It occurs in one in every 1000 births in England.
Previously, midwives and doctors at Whipps Cross would have to gather all the equipment needed to manage the emergency safely from around the labour ward. Now, the maternity and education team have introduced a cord prolapse bag that brings all this equipment together. Six bags are now placed in convenient locations in the hospital’s maternity unit for instant access.
Their introduction means that midwives can stay with mothers throughout the whole birthing experience, providing the urgent medical care needed.
Rita Osayimwen, practice development midwife at Whipps Cross Hospital, said: “We want all women to feel safe when they give birth. During training exercises, we recognised that we could change our practice to make women’s experience safer as well as help staff feel confident to manage a cord prolapse emergency. Our team were on board with the idea and have immediately recognised the benefits of the bags.”