ÃÛÌÒAPP

Today (17 September) is world patient safety day and the focus this year is on safe maternal and newborn care.

Our maternity team at the RVI deliver over 6000 babies each year and the safety of mums and babies is our first priority. The team work with specialists across the Trust to make sure that those with complex needs receive care tailored to their needs.

The World Health Organisation has been highlighting some key global statistics around safe maternal and newborn care;

• 810 women die every day because of preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth
• Around 6,700 newborns die each day, which accounts for 47% of all under-5 deaths
• About 2 million babies are stillborn each year

One of the initiatives in place at the RVI is the introduction of orange hats for our most vulnerable babies.

Most term babies born full term (between 37 and 42 weeks) are born well but some need a little bit of extra care. Those babies who need a little extra support are given orange hats so that our midwives can identify these babies easily.  We always strive to keep mums and their babies together and this helps us to achieve that.  These babies are easily recognised by all the staff on the ward and our aim is to be proactive in our care and reduce admissions to our Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU), with this extra safety net.