I also echo Mary's comments and would be willing to put my name to any
correspondence.
Deborah
Stewart, Mary writes:
> Dear Nicola
>
> Thank you so much for raising this important and worrying development. I quite agree that we should all be concerned about the potential loss of the current system for auditing maternal and perinatal mortality: I think it is an aspect of health care of which the UK can be the most proud.
>
> Do you think it would be appropriate to write an open letter of concern to one or more of the national newspapers? I think it is important that this situation is acknowledged as widely and publicly as possible.
>
> Very best wishes
>
> Mary
>
> Mary Stewart
> Consultant midwife
> Room J334
> Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
> 369 Fulham Road
> London SW10 9NH
>
> Tel: 07872 423085
> ________________________________
> From: A forum for discussion on midwifery and reproductive health research. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Miller, Nicola
> Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 11:22 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: National reporting of Perinatal and Maternal mortality
>
> Dear list members,
>
> I am writing to voice my concern about the current absence of a national monitoring auditing system for perinatal and maternal mortality.
>
> In January 2011 it was announced that CMACE (formerly CEMACH) had lost its bids in the NPSA tendering process for both the maternal and newborn health programme and the child health programme. CMACE held its final conference series in March Saving Mothers' lives 2006-2008 to launch the 8th triennial report into maternal death. The conferences were of a very high standard and sold out to an international audience.
>
> We looked forward to a new system to be launched by MBBRACE-UK by April 1st 2011; however, at the last moment, we have been told by the NPSA that this plan has been changed.
> https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/mbrrace-uk
>
> The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), Department of Health in England and representatives from the devolved administrations have agreed to discontinue the procurement process for the Maternal and Newborn Health programme with immediate effect....
>
> An expert group will be established to determine the appropriate scope and plan for the future of the Maternal and Newborn Health programme, ensuring it meets anticipated requirements, delivers first class output and value for money.
>
> In the interim maternity unit co-ordinators have been told to continue collecting data and to hold it until the new systems are in place.
>
> My concerns are threefold:
>
> * Firstly, that the results of a tendering process can be so easily abandoned. That a group (MBRRACE-UK) judged to have a better plan than the current internationally renowned service provider (CMACE), can have that responsibility immediately revoked.
>
> * Secondly, that this leaves a position where there is no ongoing surveillance of the fundamental public health outcomes of perinatal and maternal mortality.
>
> * Thirdly, that whilst we are told to continue to collect data, the CMACE 2010 perinatal forms must be scarce by now, the 2011 forms were revoked and the maternal mortality paperwork was issued only on notification. All the CMACE paperwork has CMACE addresses on it and this produces data protection issues as it increases the risk of data being sent to now empty offices.
>
> In some regions there are data collection services available to maternity units and there, data collection should remain ongoing and secure. I understand that this information has been sent to all maternity units and I am interested to learn what systems are being put in place to ensure that this data is protected until a new system is instated. Otherwise national denominators will be lost and a sustained period of detailed reporting will be broken.
>
>
> With concern,
>
> Nicola Miller RM PhD
>
>
>
>
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