The North West Perinatal Optimisation team has been recognised for its outstanding contribution to neonatal care, winning the award for Best National/Regional Project at the 2024 BAPM Gopi Menon Awards.
In the North West, there are 22 maternity units which also have a neonatal unit with a total of 469 cots. Around 7,000 babies are admitted every year, with 1,600 babies being born before their mother reaches 34 weeks pregnant.
The award celebrates the team’s excellence in providing vital support during the crucial perinatal period – just before, during, and after birth and how it has made a difference for babies and their families.
There are several interventions that should be carried out to ensure babies and their families receive the best possible care during the perinatal period. This includes making sure babies are born at a maternity unit with the correct type of neonatal unit and ensuring there is a delay in clamping the cord which benefits babies as it allows time for extra blood to flow from the placenta to the baby, keeping baby warm and encouraging early breast milk which contains lots of important nutrients.
The team have worked hard to implement such measures including improving the collection and recording of the interventions to help units focus on what needs to improve, setting up popular special interest group education meetings, with varied speakers, creating North West face to face study days and local learning events and supporting the roll out of a type of pressure-controlled ventilation that improves the care of neonatal babies.
The team is led by Catherine Nash who is based at Alder Hey and is from the NW Neonatal Operational Delivery Network (ODN), Amanda Andrews from Health Innovation NW Coast, and Caroline Finch and Rebecca Williams from Health Innovation Manchester and includes a diverse range of experts- obstetricians, neonatologists, midwives, nurses, paediatricians, and healthcare practitioners, alongside ex-neonatal parents, neonatal charities, and the Maternity Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP).
Catherine Nash said “We’re delighted that the hard work of the team has been recognised with this award. Working together in this way helps us to give babies the best possible start in life. A key focus of the team’s work is investing in education and training for both staff and parents, aiming to ensure that the highest standards of perinatal care are maintained across the region.”
Since the group was developed, 88% of North West babies were born in the right place in 2023 meaning they were delivered at a maternity unit with an attached neonatal intensive care unit, During 2023/2024 there was a 33% increase in delayed cord clamping –and during 2023/2024, almost 1,000 babies received colostrum within 24 hours – this is the first milk produced by the parent who has given birth and contains lots of important nutrients.
The prestigious award highlights the team’s commitment to improving perinatal care for babies and their families across the region now and in the future.
If you want to know about neonatal care in the North West more details can be found on the North West Neonatal Operational Delivery Network website.