Child and Maternal Health
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FASD Awareness Day 2020
9th September 2020 by Laura Maclaughlin
The 9th day of the 9th month is internationally recognised as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day. FASD is a neurodevelopmental condition caused by alcohol exposure in the womb. It is common in Western countries, with estimated prevalence in the UK at ~3-5%. FASD is a largely preventable condition and we can all play...
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Understanding and Mitigating: Unintended Consequences of COVID-19 for Infants, Children and Young People
31st July 2020 by Laura Maclaughlin
A Rights and Value Based Responses to COVID-19 Child Health Commissioners in Scotland have prepared the following statement. In the midst of change and competing demands on time and energy there are always opportunities alongside the risks. This blog explores those identified by Child Health Commissioners in Scotland to inform how we move through and...
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Using technology to support maternity care – during Covid-19 and beyond
18th June 2020 by Ann Holmes
Globally, we are in uncharted territory with the emergence of COVID-19 and it’s impact on our way of life. Scotland’s health and care services are at the forefront of our collective response to support the people of Scotland – thinking differently to redesign provision and maintain essential care. And with that comes positive innovation and...
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Thinking about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
9th September 2019 by Laura Maclaughlin
To mark International FASD Awareness Day, Scottish Government Professional Advisor, Dr. Christopher Steer, gives an account of FASD action in Scotland. William Sutherland first proposed that alcohol harms the developing fetus more than a century ago in his study of alcoholic mothers detained in Liverpool Jail(1). Over recent decades clinicians and researchers have described and...
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What is Best Start?
18th July 2019 by Ann Holmes
We have looked at different recommendations in the Best Start: A Five Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland….but what is Best Start and what progress has been made with implementation? Find out here! Best Start Overview Factsheet
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Best Start focus on: Using technology to bring care closer to home
3rd April 2019 by Ann Holmes
Best Start Factsheet – Using technology to support care closer to home What is it? The Best Start recommends developing the use of technology within maternity services. The Scottish Government’s Realistic Medicine Strategy and the Clinical Strategy for Scotland also supports a move to delivering care closer to home. Previously this has relied...
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Best Start focus on: Continuity of Carer
27th March 2019 by Ann Holmes
Best Start Factsheet – Continuity of Carer What is it? The Best Start recommends moving to a continuity of carer model of care for maternity. This represents a fundamental change in the way services are currently delivered. In the new model, midwives will work in small teams and manage a caseload of 35 women at...
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Best Start focus on: Transitional Care
20th March 2019 by Ann Holmes
Best Start Factsheet – Transitional Care What is it? The Best Start recommends the development of transitional care to keep mothers together with their baby wherever possible. The majority of babies currently admitted to neonatal units are late preterm (34 – 36+6 weeks gestation) and full-term infants with moderate additional care needs, for...
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Best Start evidence
18th March 2019 by Ann Holmes
Did you know? The Maternity and Neonatal Review Group considered current evidence and best practice as well as the views of service users, the workforce and NHS Boards when coming up with the 76 recommendation in The Best Start: A Five Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland. Read the evidence here:...
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Best Start Implementation Newsletter – issue 4
30th January 2019 by Ann Holmes
Best Start – Newsletter – FINAL – January 2019 The fourth edition of Implementing The Best Start: The Journey from Policy to Practice is now available. In this edition you can read more about progress made implementing The Best Start, hear from midwives working in the Early Adopter Boards about how the new model is...