Maternity Service Provision in Remote and Rural Areas in Scotland: Scoping core multidisciplinary skills

Summary

A Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland (NHS Scotland 2001) described seven delivery settings and noted that these vary in local combination according to the demographic and geographical characteristics of different regions in Scotland. There is recognition of existing wide variation in maternity care models and scant information about remote and rural health care. Maternity care staff in remote and rural areas have highlighted a need for ongoing training and updating, particularly owing to low numbers of births and difficulties in gaining access to appropriate education.

This Scotland-wide study aimed to define core multidisciplinary skills needed for high quality maternity services in remote and rural settings in Scotland, and made recommendations for innovative and acceptable educational initiatives to maintain and support those staff skills.

This study provided:

An inventory of the required skills and competencies in the wider maternity care workforce in Scotland
Scoped recommended skills and competencies required for a multidisciplinary team in remote and rural settings
Remote and rural professionals' views on current and future skills requirements to deliver a quality maternity service, and their preferences for training
Identified innovative approaches to teaching and continuing education for maternity care professionals in remote and rural settings.

The study findings informed policy and supported the development of new and acceptable training and skills maintenance programmes for remote and rural maternity care professionals in Scotland. Implementation of innovative programmes was evaluated against the strategic process of strengthening workforce capacity and sustainable service, and towards outcomes of providing safe and appropriate, and community-based maternity care in remote and rural settings.