Frank Field: The importance of giving Birkenhead babies a safe start in life

May 11 2011 By Staff Reporter

WHAT it means to give Birkenhead babies a safe start in life was spelt out to me last Thursday.

I had asked Wirral Primary Care Trust if I could meet one or two midwives. Midwives have a key part to play in the roll out of the Foundation Years Report that the Government commissioned from me.

The NHS midwives are reforming their service to make it easier to use. They have a shop in the precinct where mothers and fathers to be can call in during shopping hours.

The reports are that it is extremely popular.

The ‘One to One’ service piloted in Birkenhead goes further. Families joining the scheme gain a named midwife who will be the same person that mothers will deal with throughout their pregnancy.

Seventy per cent of the named midwives will end up delivering the baby.

Each mother has the midwife’s mobile number and can phone at any time. There is no putting mothers through to another part of the NHS after hours.

So why are there not similar shop-front initiatives throughout Wirral? Likewise, if a private company can provide a genuine one-to-one service with a single midwife that sees the family through the birth, what is stopping the NHS doing the same?

The overall aim of the service is to increase the number of healthy babies who will be able to live fulfilling lives.

To do this I believe both approaches need to be combined in a way that midwives feel they can manage.