Maternity and neonatal care - Best Start implementation: equality impact assessment

Screening

Policy Aim

Background

The Minister for Public Health announced the Strategic Review of Maternity and Neonatal Services in Scotland in early 2015. This Review focused on creating a refreshed model of care and approach to maternity and neonatal services and to examine choice, quality, and the safety of those services in light of current evidence and best practice, in consultation with service users, the workforce and NHS Boards. A Review team was convened and tasked with making recommendations for a Scottish model of care that contributed to the Scottish Government’s overall aim of delivering person-centred, safe, and effective care. The Review team was comprised of representatives from key professional groups involved in managing and delivering maternity and neonatal services, representatives from Scottish Government, staff-side organisations, third sector representatives and academics working in maternal and infant health research.

This Review was grounded in a strong evidence base, led by an Evidence and Data Sub-Group. Eight efficient evidence reviews were produced by the Sub-Group and provided the evidence base for the Review. The outcomes of these efficient evidence reviews are published online: Review of Maternity and Neonatal Services: efficient evidence review - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)