The first ever personalised care e-learning module for maternity healthcare professionals has been launched. This resource equips learners with the expertise to place women at the centre of their care so they can make safe and informed decisions during their antenatal journey.
The dedicated maternity module, Personalised care and support planning – Maternity, is a free resource available to all maternity care professionals via the Personalised Care Institute (PCI). The module takes just 30 minutes to complete and counts towards CPD points once the pre and post assessments are undertaken.
It has been accredited by the PCI and authored by an expert panel: Kathryn Gutteridge, the RCM’s president 2017-2021; Dr Sarah Winfield, Clinical Lead at Yorkshire & Humber Maternity Clinical Network; Maria Booker, Programmes Director at Birthrights; and Natasha Smith, a doula and patient with lived experience.
The interactive e-learning module outlines the importance of personalised care in practice and prompts learners to apply core principles in their own healthcare settings. It discusses the national guidance for informed decision making, alongside consultation skills and methods. A plethora of practical techniques, including details of the IDECIDE tool, are outlined; as well as the importance of the Montgomery court case, which fundamentally changed the test for consent in the UK.
Dr Pauline Foreman, the PCI’s Clinical Director, said: “We’re delighted to launch this bespoke, high-quality learning module for maternity healthcare professionals. I’d like to thank the authors for their hugely valuable inputs; their wide ranging expertise in the field of maternity care is absolutely fundamental to us being able to launch this informative evidence-based training.
“Personalised care places every patient at the centre of their care and evidence shows this approach leads to better clinical outcomes and increased patient and clinician satisfaction. It is incredibly important for personalised care to be consistently applied across all health and social care settings and that’s why we are focused on providing quality learning opportunities for healthcare professionals.”
Kathryn Gutteridge, the RCM’s incumbent president, co-authored the training and endorsed the importance of the profession taking on personalised care approaches. She said, “Midwives and maternity support workers (MSW) ensure that care is driven by women and their needs, and work incredibly hard to ensure women get the care and support that is right for them. This short course is a quick and efficient way for midwives and MSWs to refresh and update their knowledge and will help them to deliver even better personalised care for women.”
Natasha Smith, a doula and mum of three who co-authored the learning modules, added that the training was vital for putting mums-to-be at the centre of their own care. She said: “The PCI’s training explains the importance of professionals sharing their healthcare knowledge, so that the expectant mum can make informed choices.
“It allows each person to be treated as an individual based on their personal needs and unique circumstances; reducing unnecessary medical interventions, or including timely interventions when necessary, and ensuring a safe environment where people feel they can vocalise what’s important to them.”
The PCI is helping health and care professionals to change the lives of patients by empowering them to have more control over how their care is planned. It is backed by NHS England and Improvement and is supported by more than 40 health organisations including royal colleges, key professional associations and patient groups. The PCI sets the standards for evidence-based personalised care training, provides an accreditation framework for training providers and commissioners; and is a central learning hub for health and care professional learners.
To complete the module, visit the PCI’s learning hub. To see the other learning options available, visit the website www.personalisedcareinstitute.org.uk