More than 90 NHS trusts will receive money to buy new equipment, including ultrasound machines and mother and baby monitoring equipment, so any problems can be detected and addressed earlier.
The moneypot is part of the Government’s campaign to halve the number of stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths, and brain injuries occurring during, or soon after, birth, by 2030.
Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, of the funding: “This is an important step towards creating a safer NHS seven days a week.
“By ensuring midwives and doctors have the right equipment we can further improve the safety and care of thousands of women and their babies during this life-changing moment.”
As part of the move the Government is investing in a new system that can be used consistently across to NHS so staff can review and learn from every stillbirth and neonatal death. More than £1m has also been invested in training programmes that will give NHS staff the skills and confidence to provide world-leading safe care.
Applications for funding were considered by the Department of Health and representatives from the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Among those successful bids were Barts Health NHS Trust, which will receive £64,000 for its Maternity Complex Compassionate Care Collaborative; Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, which will spend its £13,000 on purchasing a wireless fetal monitor; Birmingham Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, which will spend £60,000 on neonatal resuscitation equipment and ultrasound machines; and Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, which will introduce computerised CTG monitoring for at-risk mums-to-be with its £34,000 grant.
For a full list of the trusts that will receive money, click here.