Launch of the Early Breast Milk Toolkit at our Maternity and Neonatal Learning Event

Health Innovation Wessex recently hosted its annual Maternity and Neonatal Learning Event held in person in Southampton on 11 February. The Patient Safety Collaborative brought together healthcare professionals from across the region to discuss crucial topics in maternity and neonatal care, including Perinatal Culture and Leadership, Preterm Optimisation, Managing Deterioration and Martha’s Rule and Tackling Racial Inequalities. The event provided an opportunity for shared learning and networking along with a heartfelt patient story.  

One of the highlights of the event was the launch of Health Innovation Wessex’s new Early Breast Milk toolkit funded by NHS England South West and developed in collaboration with clinical expertise from University Hospital Southampton. The toolkit is aimed at improving access to properly fitted breast pump equipment for mothers, which can significantly improve milk yield and comfort. The initiative focuses on staff training and educational resources to improve access to suitable equipment via NHS procurement. The newly developed toolkit is designed to foster awareness and encourage healthcare professionals to implement similar improvements within their own practices. 

The toolkit has been shared nationally via the Patient Safety Collaboratives, our three Local Maternity and Neonatal Systems and NHSE South East and South West regional maternity and neonatal meetings. Initial feedback from the toolkit has been positive.

“I’m really excited about the flange sizing project and the resources available within the toolbox to better support staff and the parents of babies in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. This is already helping more families to meet their goals and more babies to receive milk made just for them.”

Neonatal Infant Feeding Lead Nurse

The event also featured an inspiring presentation from the Black Maternity Matters initiative which addresses maternal health disparities affecting black mothers and babies in the UK, focusing on anti-racism education, peer support and quality improvement projects. This coproduced initiative was supported by Health Innovation West of England as an addition to the Bristol based support network Black Mothers Matter. The event demonstrated a strong commitment to collaboration for improving equity and health outcomes for mothers and babies.   

“These events are vital to enable shared learning and networking opportunities. The early breastmilk toolkit was developed as a direct result of hearing first-hand from a mother who shared her experience of expressing breastmilk for her premature baby and subsequently developed mastitis due to poorly fitting breast pump equipment. As part of a bundle of evidence-based best practice care, early breastmilk contributes to improved outcomes for mothers and babies who experience premature birth and is one of the improvement priorities in the NHS England’s Patient Safety Strategy.”

Holly Green, Registered Midwife and Patient Safety Programme Manager, Maternity & Neonatal Safety Improvement Programme, Health Innovation Wessex.

We'd love to hear what you think about our toolkit! Please take a moment to fill out our feedback survey.

If you have any questions regarding the toolkit or the project, please contact Holly Green by emailing holly.green@hiwessex.net