The proposal for extended postnatal midwifery care up until three months in the maternity section of the National Service Framework (NSF) for children, young people and maternity services is illogical and unrealistic.
I have asked for an urgent meeting with Professor Al Aynsley-Green, the national clinical director for children, so that health visitors' concerns can be highlighted and the NSF's recommendations in this area reviewed.
Unfortunately we have real concerns with the content of the maternity section, which seems to eliminate the key role of the health visitor in the first three months of a child's life.
The midwifery service already faces challenges in adequately meeting the needs of mothers during the antenatal period and during the birth of their child. There are also implications in terms of the numbers and training for midwives to take on this additional work.
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