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8. The future<br />

The delivery of healthcare constantly needs to evolve to meet the challenges of a changing population<br />

and deliver high-quality care; obstetric anaesthesia is no exception to this.<br />

Changes in healthcare encompass both organisational and clinical aspects. Developments that the<br />

Working Party supports include:<br />

• An aspiration to develop a 24-hour consultant-delivered anaesthesia service in the maternity unit,<br />

with the instigation of twilight and weekend sessions as an initial step<br />

• An expanded role of the obstetric anaesthetist as a ‘peripartum physician’ – in particular, more<br />

antenatal involvement in the management of women with high-risk/complicated pregnancies<br />

• Developing relationships between the maternity team and other specialities in the hospital setting,<br />

e.g. medical specialities such as cardiology, with maternity units receiving support from a named<br />

cardiologist<br />

• More extensive use of near-patient testing in the maternity unit<br />

• Development of safe and effective alternatives to regional analgesia in labour<br />

• Outcome-based research on the impact of intrapartum analgesia and anaesthesia on mother and<br />

baby<br />

• Further research into increased levels of anaesthetic safety<br />

• Development of enhanced recovery programmes in obstetrics<br />

• Confirmation at Department of Health level of the uninterrupted continuation of the Confidential<br />

Enquiries into maternal death and morbidity with more timely and frequent reports<br />

• Promoting equitable provision of anaesthetic services by ensuring anaesthetic representation on<br />

commissioning bodies.<br />

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