Health Innovation East Midlands will be offering support to 12 regional sites to implement the national Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth (ABC) programme to help maternity staff to better identify signs that the baby is in distress during labour so they can act quickly - helping to prevent lifelong conditions like cerebral palsy.

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The programme, which will run until March 2027, aims to improve clinical practice relating to: 

• Detection and response to suspected intrapartum foetal deterioration (IFD)
• Management of the obstetric emergency of impacted foetal head (IFH) at caesarean birth

The national rollout follows an extensive development phase and pilot scheme. It is part of the government’s Plan for Change.

Kay Khan, Head of Improvement Programme Delivery at Health Innovation East Midlands said: “We will be supporting all trusts in the East Midlands to deliver the ABC programme and have recently recruited clinical faculty to work with us. A key element of the programme is to ensure effective training and implementation in line with the ABC approach, to all 12 sites across the East Midlands.” 

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