31/07/2019
Obstetric incidents can be catastrophic and are almost always life changing. Of the clinical negligence claims notified to NHS Resolution in 2017/2018, obstetric claims accounted for 48% of the total value of new claims.
For a second year, NHS Resolution have worked together with the national maternity safety champions to support the delivery of safer maternity care through a maternity incentive element to the contribution to the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST).
Trusts that can demonstrate that they have achieved all of the ten safety actions designed to improve the delivery of best practice in maternity and neonatal services will recover the element of their contribution to the CNST maternity incentive fund and will also receive a share of any unallocated funds.
Trusts that do not meet the ten-out-of-ten threshold will not recover their contribution to the CNST maternity incentive fund, but may be eligible for a small discretionary payment from the scheme to help them to make progress against actions they have not achieved. Such a payment would be at a much lower level than the 10% contribution to the incentive fund.
Important dates
- 12 noon on Thursday 15 August - The deadline for submitting the completed Board declaration form and where required a completed action plan template is 12 noon on Thursday 15 August 2019. Submissions and comments/corrections received after this date will not be considered. The mailbox MIS@resolution.nhs.uk will be open to receive submissions from Thursday 1 August 2019. Prior to the submission date any queries relating to the maternity incentive scheme should be sent in writing by email to NHS Resolution (MIS@resolution.nhs.uk) for a response.
- 30 September 2019 – Trusts notified of outcome
- 30 November 2019 – Payments under the scheme confirmed
- 14 October 2019 – Deadline for appeals (to be submitted in writing by the trust’s chief executive)
Important documents
- Full details of the scheme, including the conditions, ten safety actions, supporting technical guidance, frequently asked questions and the Board declaration form and action plan details.
- Correspondence sent to maternity incentive scheme clinical and financial contacts as identified as member lead on Thursday 18 July 2019 with a reminder of deadlines and additional information to support members.
Ten Maternity Safety Actions
- Safety action 1: Are you using the National Perinatal Mortality Review Tool to review perinatal deaths to the required standard?
- Safety action 2: Are you submitting data to the Maternity Services Data Set to the required standard?
- Safety action 3: Can you demonstrate that you have transitional care services to support the Avoiding Term Admissions Into Neonatal units Programme?
- Safety action 4: Can you demonstrate an effective system of medical workforce planning to the required standard?
- Safety action 5: Can you demonstrate an effective system of midwifery workforce planning to the required standard?
- Safety action 6: Can you demonstrate compliance with all four elements of the Saving Babies’ Lives care bundle?
- Safety action 7: Can you demonstrate that you have a patient feedback mechanism for maternity services and that you regularly act on feedback?
- Safety action 8: Can you evidence that 90% of each maternity unit staff group have attended an ‘in-house’ multi-professional maternity emergencies training session within the last training year?
- Safety action 9: Can you demonstrate that the trust safety champions (obstetrician and midwife) are meeting bimonthly with Board level champions to escalate locally identified issues?
- Safety action 10: Have you reported 100% of qualifying 2018/19 incidents under NHS Resolution’s Early Notification scheme?
