A delegation of midwives and obstetricians from Italy and Slovenia visited Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust maternity services last week as part of a fact finding mission to look at best practice.
The group of experts, who are developing and improving cross-border maternity services, visited the maternity department at Tunbridge Wells Hospital and then spent time at Maidstone Birth Centre.
The trust’s maternity department is one of only three European centres the 15 strong group are visiting to see antenatal and postnatal care, and the health structures available to support new mothers.
Jenny Cleary, head of midwifery, said: ‘We were delighted to welcome the group of midwives and obstetricians from Italy and Slovenia to our department, and to show them the excellent facilities we have available.
‘The delegation was particularly keen to find out how we manage low risk pregnancies and promote normal birth, midwifery-led care and the use of birth centres. We showed them round our obstetric-led service at Tunbridge Wells Hospital and then took a tour of Maidstone birth centre to see how we manage active and water births.
‘The study visit was a great success and the group learnt a lot about the best practice we have developed to improve the care we provide for women and their families.’
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is one of the leading maternity units in England, providing the highest and safest standards of care for mothers and babies. Its maternity services have been rated one of the best in the country following a review by NHS England.
