NHS rolls out maternity signal system to spot and stop emerging safety concerns

The NHS is rolling out a new safety signal system across maternity services in England to spot emerging concerns and prevent tragedies.

The Maternity Outcomes Signal System (MOSS) rapidly analyses routine ward data to flag issues needing urgent attention.

If an unusual pattern is detected, a warning signal is sent to the unit, which must carry out a critical check within eight working days.

Signals are traffic-light coded: amber alerts indicate 95 per cent confidence and red alerts 99 per cent confidence that a rise in events is real and needs urgent action.

Retrospective analysis shows MOSS would have detected signals in units that later had serious incidents, including East Kent, Shrewsbury and Telford, Leeds and Nottingham.

Duncan Burton, chief nursing officer for England, said: “There have been too many times where safety issues in maternity could have been detected earlier, and we have seen the devastating impact this has had on families.

“Having a signalling system for maternity which can carefully look at data in near real-time and spot early warning signs if something is potentially going wrong will help to avert safety incidents and prevent tragedies.”

MOSS was created in response to a recommendation in the “Reading the Signals” report, following the independent investigation led by Dr Bill Kirkup into maternity and neonatal services in East Kent.

Dr Bill Kirkup said: “This is a really positive development that originated directly from the investigation into East Kent maternity services.

“The families there who did so much to bring this to light deserve great credit for the improvements it will bring.”

Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting added: “Now, this is a key step we are taking to improve maternity care.

“We have a sophisticated early warning system that will sound the alarm when patterns emerge that need urgent attention.

“Every signal will be visible from ward to boardroom, and every signal will be investigated.”