No abstract

The National Patient Safety Agency developed an Intrapartum Scorecard for labour ward coordinators to record the demand on their service and the resources available to meet that demand. The evaluation of the pilot at 11 maternity units found that staff valued having this information in one place to support decision‐making in real time. However, nearly half the labour ward coordinators reported difficulty in finding time to complete the Scorecard. Units also used information recorded on the Scorecard as an aid to understanding the pressures on the labour ward over 24 hours throughout the week. The Scorecard was launched in February 2010 as part of the National Patient Safety Agency's Intrapartum Toolkit. In a follow up survey of Heads of Midwifery, over half the respondents were either using the Scorecard or planning to use it. Maternity units would like to adapt the tool in light of their particular requirements.