Infant Journal
for neonatal and paediatric healthcare professionals

Report reveals improvement of local investigations into baby deaths and brain injuries occurring during childbirth

The latest report from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Each Baby Counts clinical initiative shows there was an increase in the number of completed local investigations into stillbirths, neonatal deaths and severe brain injuries that occurred from incidents during term labour in 2016 across the UK, when compared to 2015.

In 2016, 89% of completed local investigation reports contained sufficient information for review, which is necessary to drive clinical improvements to reduce the number of deaths and injuries.

The findings also show that different care might have led to a different outcome in almost three quarters of the stillbirths, neonatal deaths and severe brain injuries included in the review.

Each Baby Counts is a clinical quality improvement programme that aims to halve the number of stillbirths and babies who die or are left severely disabled due to incidents during term labour by 2020.

The report makes a number of recommendations including addressing workload issues, an individualised management plan for women during antenatal, labour and postnatal care, and ensuring local guidelines are updated in line with national guidance.