What is a maternity team review?
As numerous maternity services reviews conducted by independent inquiries, CQC and NHS England have illustrated, the culture in a maternity service is directly related to the quality and outcomes of the service. Too many maternity service reviews have found evidence of team dysfunction, across different professional groups.
The importance of the role of the multidisciplinary team and working relationships between team members (not just obstetricians and midwives, but also, and not exclusively, obstetric anaesthetists, neonatologists and maternity support workers) cannot be understated. Issues can also arise within professional groups, for example, between midwives working in midwifery-led birth centres and those on consultant-led labour wards.
Teamwork, cooperation and positive working relationships have been identified as a key feature of safety and quality in maternity units and, conversely, where this is not present, adverse consequence can arise from greater conflict and distrust between professional groups and a lack of investment in multidisciplinary working.
For this reason, we have now built on our Team reviews service to provide maternity team reviews, which have been designed to play a valuable role in helping to address some of the factors that impact maternity services performance. A maternity team review can help provide a better understanding of the barriers to resolving behavioural issues within a maternity team and suggest options for improving professional relationships.
How are maternity team reviews conducted?
Team reviews may be undertaken online, virtually, or on a face-to-face basis depending on what has been agreed with the commissioner of the service. We are flexible and will work according to the needs of the commissioner to ensure the review is conducted in the most effective way. The maternity team review is undertaken by two experienced advisers or associates from Practitioner Performance Advice referred to as ‘reviewers’. At least one of the two reviewers will be from a clinical background and will have specific knowledge of maternity services.
Differences between a team review and a maternity team review
The main differences between a maternity team review and our other team reviews are:
- the team being reviewed may include members from the extended multidisciplinary team, rather than only doctors;
- the reviewers may use focus groups as well as questionnaires and individual interviews to gather information; and
- including more detail about the context in which the team works by gathering insights from various sources such as CQC reports, maternity reviews and other relevant information.
How much does a team review cost?
This is a service that we charge for – the cost being dependent on a number of factors – including the size of the team concerned, the method of delivery (virtual or face to face), the level of administrative support required and other logistical considerations.
Please get in touch if you feel a maternity team review may be of benefit and we will be happy to talk about the potential cost as part of that conversation.
Who can request a maternity team review?
Requests for team reviews can be made by NHS employing and contracting organisations of secondary care, as well as private healthcare organisations and health authorities in other jurisdictions.
How to request a maternity team review?
The first step to requesting a team review is a discussion with your link adviser. Alternatively, contact nhsr.advice@nhs.net who will put you in touch with the correct adviser.
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