THE PIP UPDATE
A monthly update on the Perinatal Improvement Programme for staff
In this edition
Page 1
Latest updates
Page 2
Fancy getting involved?
Page 3
Our workstreams
Page 4
PIP shoutouts
Page 5
Annual Routine Pulse Oximetry
Screening coming soon
Page 6
“We’re here to listen”: PIP team walkabouts
Page 7
Fast, focused and finished: Guidelines signed off in record time
What are the latest updates?
An update of the latest activity coming out of the workstreams includes:
• Incredibly helpful and insightful discussions being had with staff about instances of racism and uncivil behaviour within our perinatal services. This is proving extremely valuable in the development of a bespoke cultural competency training package that will be piloted to our perinatal staff before being rolled out Trust wide
• Bryany Tweedale, Consultant Midwife from Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board presented to Workstream 1 about the Perinatal Engagement Framework in Wales. This was an insightful talk on the positive outputs and challenges faced within their framework. More importantly, Bryany laid out some key learnings that came from their framework. This session was recorded and has been uploaded to the Perinatal Improvement Programme section on the intranet under Workstream 1
Would you like to be involved in the PIP? Email bhn-tr.pipteam@nhs.net to express your interest.
• Welcome meetings held with workstream members and the new MNVP leads for Bedford and Luton to further strengthen partnership working with these crucial stakeholders for our perinatal services
• Meaningful walkarounds continue, led by workstream members who go out and about speaking to staff about their lived experiences and getting their valuable feedback on how we shape and implement improvements more effectively
• Continuing with one of the PIP’s commitment to improving staff’s health and wellbeing, the team is working with other areas within the Trust to ensure all health and wellbeing support services are visible and accessible to our perinatal staff
• Appraisal underway to look at different options available to improve accessibility of our outpatients appointment letters by including the ability to send out in different languages
• Adaptions made to InPhase to ensure all Trust staff reporting incidents receive notification of incident review outcome if they ask for this
• Pulse Oximeter training rolled out to staff
Fancy getting involved?
Members of our workstreams continues to do ad-hoc walk-arounds to various perinatal departments and places themselves in staff areas to seek your views and tell you about the work of the programme.
We know lots of you feel very passionately about a number of the topics of focus within the PIP so we strongly encourage you to get involved. Your voice and insights are extremely important to this ongoing programme to improve our perinatal services, for both service users and staff.
There are different ways you can get involve:
• You could have a chat with workstream members on their walk-arounds to discuss areas of challenge or concerns and highlight where improvement is needed
• Attend any improvement workshops that the PIP creates
• Joining one of the workstreams who meet virtually once a week for one hour
• Being part of a subgroup focused on a particularly important issue for you
If you fancy it, we would love to hear from you! Drop us a line at: bhn-tr.pipteam@nhs.net
From the PIP team.
1 Listening to our user voice
Workstream 1 lead is Tara Pauley (Head of Midwifery for the L&D) with Belinda Wood (Deputy Chief Nurse) as the SRO.
This workstream aims to:
• Ensure the voice of our service users informs the design and delivery of our services
• Reduce inequity in access and outcome outcomes for our population
• Collaborate with Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVPs)
2 Looking after our people and developing our teams
Workstream 2 lead is Karen Stow (Head of Nursing: Children’s Services) with Fiona MacDonald (Director of Culture and OD) as the SRO.
This workstream aims to:
• Develop a compassionate and inclusive culture
• Ensure all staff have high quality training and development
• Provide safe staffing levels
3
Embedding safety and quality
Workstream 3 lead is Cath Hudson (Head of Quality Improvement for Maternity) with Karen Sobey Hudson (Deputy Director of Quality and Safety Governance) as the SRO.
This workstream aims to:
• Strengthen governance frameworks that enables delivery of safe services and good risk management
• Ensures management of incidents are effective and compassionate
• Develop structures that promotes continuous quality improvement.
4 Delivering exceptional patient care
Workstream 4 lead is Dushyanthy Jeyanesan (Obstetric Consultant) with the SRO role currently vacant.
This workstream aims to:
• Ensure we meet national standards and best practice guidance for our clinical services (for e.g. antenatal screening, transitional care)
• Strive for excellence and resiliency of our clinical pathways
• Work towards an estate and digital infrastructure that is fit for purpose.
Cath Hudson
Karen Stow
Tara Pauley
Dushyanthy Jeyanesan
PIP shoutouts
In each edition of this newsletter, the PIP team will give special shoutouts to individuals or teams who have helped the workstreams develop and/or implement improvements to the services we provide and/or the working lives of all colleagues across the perinatal pathways. In May we want to salute:
Tina McCann and Keely Franklin, Lead Professional Midwifery Advocates (PMAs)For their incredible work in planning and leading the International Day of the Midwife 2025 celebrations.
Community team, L&D - For supporting with an excellent rollout of PGDs (Patient Group Directions) with Community midwives now prescribing certain medications for antenatal women / birthing people.
Ward 34 - For maintaining good patient experience while experiencing significant operational pressures.
Pooja Sharma, Quality Governance Manager - For all her diligent work on the new Perinatal Assurance Group.
Tara Pauley, Silvia Lemossampaio and Sean Bunn - For their quick and prompt action in sorting out issues with resuscitaires at the L&D. Their immediate action meant minimal impact to the delivery of safe patient care.
Thank you all so much for your support!
Would you like to be involved in the PIP? Email bhn-tr.pipteam@nhs.net to express your interest.
Annual Routine Pulse Oximetry Screening for newborns coming soon!
We’re excited to share that we will soon be launching a Routine Pulse Oximetry Screening for all newborn babies. This screening is designed to detect serious heart defects that may not have been visible on a scan before birth.
Research has shown that early detection of heart defects is crucial, as some babies with heart conditions may seem well initially but could become unwell in the days or weeks after birth. By identifying these issues early, we can offer treatment that significantly improves the baby’s wellbeing.
The screening takes less than five minutes, is painless, and non-invasive. It measures the oxygen levels in the newborns blood using a small probe placed on their hand and foot.
Pulse oximetry screening not only helps detect heart defects but can also identify other conditions like breathing problems, infections, and circulation issues.
We aim to go live with the programme once we achieve 80% training completion amongst midwives. At present, 38% are trained at Bedford Hospital and 32% at the L&D. Thank you to all who have completed the training. For more information, email Transformation Midwife, Helen Boast: Helen.Boast@bedfordhospital.nhs.uk
“We’re here to listen”: PIP team walkabouts across our perinatal services
Walkabouts with purpose: Listening, learning and laying down the groundwork for change You might have noticed some familiar faces from the PIP team popping up in your areas recently — not with clipboards or checklists, but with open ears and a simple message: “We’re here to listen.”
These recent walkabouts are part of our ongoing commitment to improving the culture across our maternity and neonatal services — and they’re not happening in isolation. In fact, they build directly on the conversations we started together during the Maternity Culture Review survey late last year.
From survey to action
Remember the Maternity Culture Survey? 99 members of staff across our maternity units shared their honest experiences. You told us about instances of racism, exclusion, and uncivil behaviour that left you feeling unsupported or unseen.
We shared those results with you in March (they’re still available on the intranet if you missed them! Simply search ‘Maternity Culture Review Survey’), and we took your suggestions seriously — because real improvement has to be led by those who live the reality of our services every day.
Two of the strongest messages you gave us were:
• “We want something meaningful in place to tackle racism.”
• “We need practical tools and training that reflect our lived experience.”
Building the future with you
So, the current walkabouts? They’re our way of continuing that conversation face-to-face. We’ve been speaking directly with staff across wards and departments — not just to hear more about your day-to-day experiences, but to co-create solutions with you.
We’re using your insights to shape two big priorities:
1. A Cultural Competency training package: Practical, locally relevant learning that helps teams navigate difference, challenge bias, and work inclusively
2. An Anti-Racism Charter: A clear, values-based commitment to equity, respect, and accountability.
These aren’t going to be top-down tick-box exercises. They’re being designed with you — the people doing the work, leading the teams, and supporting families.
We know we’ve still got a way to go. But this is a step forward. And we want to keep walking it with you.
Let’s keep talking
If we missed you on a walkabout and you’ve got something to share — a story, a concern, or a suggestion — we’re still listening. You can reach us directly at bhn-tr.pipteam@nhs.net and OrganisationalDevelopment@bedsft.nhs.uk
Would you like to be involved in the PIP? Email bhn-tr.pipteam@nhs.net to express your interest.
PIP team members leading the current walkabouts are keen to discuss and engage with staff about how we can create an inclusive and respectful working environment.
Fast, focused and finished: Guidelines signed off in record time
If you blinked, you might’ve missed it — but the latest Perinatal Improvement Programme Sprint was a whirlwind of action, collaboration, and serious results. In just a matter of weeks, 4 guidelines were reviewed, agreed, and ready for ratification as well as 3 SOPs reviewed and successfully converted into cross-site guidelines. This brings us to a fantastic total of 7 in-date, standardised guidelines - That’s right: 7 guidelines, one Sprint, zero fuss.
This is a great step forward in ensuring quality, consistency, and safety across our service. What’s a Sprint?
Think of it like a focused burst of energy — a short, time-boxed period where a cross-functional team locks in on a goal and gets it done. No endless meetings. No drawn-out drafts. Just the right people in the room, clear objectives, and a shared drive to deliver What got signed off?
• Guidelines for the Management of Postpartum Haemorrhage including the Management of Retained Placenta
• Care of Women using Water in Labour
• Obstetric Sepsis Management
• Management of Swabs, Instruments, Swab Counts and Vaginal Packs in Maternity (LocSSips)
A shout out to everyone involved
Claire Prew, Annette Walton, Louise Bywater and Helen Kerr – thank you for leading this change, your commitment was incredibly important in making this possible. Where else are we Sprint-ing to?
We know there are a huge amount of patient information leaflets about our perinatal services that are either out of date or need developing as a whole Trust leaflet that conforms to branding and accessibility guidelines. This is a massive piece of work which involves reviewing nearly 1000 existing leaflets! It is incredibly important that our patients have access to healthcare information, guidance and support – therefore, we are also conducting Sprints on these patient leaflets to ensure dedicated focus is given to this much needed improvement.
Would you like to be involved in the PIP? Email bhn-tr.pipteam@nhs.net to express your interest.
Maureen Drummond Head of Health and Inequalities
Hazel Rawdon Smith Associate Director of Culture and Organisational Development
Charishma Chauhan People and Culture Practitioner Organisational Development