999 Call Handlers Maternity Instructions Report

HSIB Report on Maternity Pre-arrival Instructions from 999 Call Handlers

The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch ("HSIB") investigate NHS maternity incidents that meet the criteria set out by the two national maternity healthcare programmes, the more well known being by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists ("RCOG") and which is called "Each Baby Counts". Where an incident meets the criteria, the HSIB report replaces the NHS Trust's own investigation. Once the report is shared, the NHS Trust is responsible for carrying out any safety recommendations that have been made.

The most recent HSIB report published on 17 February 2022 involved an investigation into instructions given by 999 call-handlers to women who have called an ambulance due to difficulties with their pregnancy and are waiting for the ambulance to arrive - these are known as "pre arrival instructions". This is, in line with all HSIB reports, a thorough and independent review and