Recommendation 16

HM Government Not Addressed

70. We accept this recommendation in part. 71. We agree that data collection should be streamlined, and that insights collected should be collated in a coordinated way and shared across organisations in a timely manner. The MTP will be commissioning the build of a single notification portal in 2021/22, as part of the Learn from Patient Safety Events (LFPSE)2 service which is replacing the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS). This single notification portal will reduce the burden reporting requirements for maternity services and enable sharing of data on incidents with multiple organizations. 72. Currently Trusts are required to notify various organisations of incidents within their services, and often a large amount of duplicate information is being reported to more than one organisation. The development and implementation of a single notification portal across Trusts in England will enable Trusts to submit a core dataset to multiple organizations at the same time. This will result in a clear and strong benefit to the frontline in having one place to report detailed information, avoiding duplication of work and consequently NHS resource. There will also be certainty for the organisations being reported to: NHS Resolution (Early Notification Scheme), HSIB, the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford (MBRRACE-UK) and the University of Bristol (National Child Mortality Database), that they have all been made aware of the same incidents. 73. We believe that the current data gaps in maternity services are known and there is already a robust response in train to deal with these. The Maternity Services Dataset (MSDS) is a national, patient- level, secondary uses data set which captures key information at each stage of the maternity care pathway. Under the MTP, the MSDS was significantly updated in April 2019 in order to make sure that the right data is collected from maternity services. However, compliance with the updated dataset is heavily reliant on the maturity of Trusts’ Maternity Information Systems, which is variable across the country. 74. Consequently, data quality is currently variable, with many Trusts’ submissions containing incomplete data. This impacts the programme’s ability to report information in key areas such as provision of Continuity of Carer, which uses complex metrics that are reliant on the submission of multiple data items. 75. We anticipate the £52 million joint support package between NHSX and NHSEI announced earlier this year to accelerate the roll out of digitally mature Maternity Information Systems and women’s Digital Maternity Records in line with the Long Term Plan, should help improve data collected by the MSDS, although a mechanism for ensuring that the capture of clinical information in line with any updates to best practice will need to be considered. The funding package will ensure the delivery of three outcomes: 76. To empower women through a digital Personalised Care and Support Plan, incorporating access to curated healthcare information and their clinical data, in order to make informed decisions. 77. Improved Patient Safety - Clinicians and other practitioners have access to relevant and timely information at any point of care that allows them to ensure the best health and care outcomes for pregnant women. 78. Digital Maturity - Improving the user experience for clinicians and women including the reduction in burden of data entry, on reducing duplicate data entry and driving towards a paperless environment. 79. Safety Action 2 of the CNST MIS will also target improving MSDS data in key areas, as it has done successfully in previous years. 80. A publicly available Maternity Services Dashboard also presents Trusts’ clinical data drawn from MSDS and national maternity indicators from other sources such as MBRRACE-UK and the CQC to enable comparison between organisations and identification of areas for local quality improvement. The dashboard also provides an indication of where gaps in MSDS data lie.