For the first time a common early warning score is being introduced to help to identify deterioration across all maternity units in England. The Maternity Early Warning Score (MEWS) tool will ensure that all staff and those cared for by maternity services benefit from a clear evidence-based system – and a common language to help escalate concerns. It will soon be rolled out across the country following a successful pilot including in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.
The NHS England National Patient Safety Team has produced two podcasts about the MEWS tool. The second of the two podcasts, which focuses on the benefits of the tool, includes a contribution from Katherine Edwards, Director of Patient Safety and Clinical Improvement, Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley
Other contributors are:
- Tony Kelly, National Clinical Advisor Maternity & Neonatal Safety Improvement Programme (MatNeoSIP), NHS England
- Hannah Rutter, Senior Improvement Manager, MatNeoSIP NHS England
- Louise Page Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, West Middlesex University Hospital and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Anita Banerjee, Consultant Obstetric Physician, Guys and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust
The first of the podcasts provides an overview and features Tony Kelly along with:
- Professor Marian Knight, University of Oxford
- Professor Peter Watkinson, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust