Largest ever maternity audit publishes report to help NHS services deliver improvements for women and babies

The National Maternity and Perinatal Audit (NMPA), published today by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), is a major clinical report that identifies areas of good practice and opportunities for improvement in the care of women and babies in maternity services across Britain.

Commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) as part of the National Clinical Audit Programme, the NMPA is the largest quality improvement programme for maternity and neonatal services in the world and a landmark collaboration between the RCOG, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

Responding to the latest report from the National Maternity and Perinatal Audit (NMPA), Professor Anne Greenough, Vice President for Research at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said:

“The health and behaviours of mothers during pregnancy can have a real impact on the health of their unborn child. Fewer than half of all mothers have a normal weight at the start of pregnancy – which is associated with greater rates of illness and obesity and a lower life expectancy for their children. There is also wide variation in the proportion of babies receiving breast milk; and it’s well known that breastfeeding has significant health benefits for both mother and baby. It’s critical that public health, maternity and paediatric services work together to ensure that all children get the best start in life.”

To find out more about the report and read it in full, please visit the audit website.