Patient Group Directive shortlisted for Royal College of Midwives Award

Congratulations to Consultant Midwife, Paula Clarke and her team who were shortlisted for one of the National Royal College of Midwives 2012 Awards held in London recently.

They were short listed for the award for ‘Excellence in Maternity Care’

The award ceremony highlighted the important work of midwives.

The entry was for introducing the availability of the BCG vaccination for babies to help to prevent tuberculosis. BCG can now be given by midwives who have undertaken additional training.

Using the newly developed Patient Group Directive (PGD), midwives now administer BCG without waiting for a doctor to be free to see the baby, write a prescription and give the BCG. Before this, women were often delayed going home.

Many midwives have extended their role in examination of the newborn and this PGD extends their service even further, resulting in continuity of midwifery care. Now, many midwives undertake the examination of the baby before going home and also administer the BCG for those requiring it.

Paula Clarke has been a midwife for many years and has been the Trust’s Consultant Midwife since 2002. Her role is to promote normality and has been key in the development and success of the Birth Centre. She has also worked with midwives to develop their skills in examination of the newborn.

Paula Clarke explained, “Whilst we did not win the actual award, it was an excellent achievement to have been shortlisted to the top three in the country for providing excellence in maternity care. This new directive empowers  midwives to provide optimal care for women and babies. Having this recognition will hopefully assist others nationally to embrace the idea so that they can also provide this service’.