In June, NHS Direct launched a new service to help people access local maternity services across Greater Manchester. ‘Direct to Midwife’ is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Its aim is to encourage newly pregnant women to contact their local midwife for advice in early pregnancy and to talk about their birthing choices.
The calls are handled by NHS Direct health advisors, who collect initial information about the caller, including their reason for calling. Most calls will then be referred to the local midwifery service’s 24 hour telephone number.
In an emergency situation, the advisor will immediately connect the caller to the ambulance service. They will also establish whether an interpreter or other services are needed, such as Typetalk for callers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
‘Direct to Midwife’ is also a way of reaching maternity services for people that do not traditionally access health services or maternity services during pregnancy.
NHS Direct also recently completed a 12 week pilot for maternity services, working with Poole Foundation Trust. The purpose of ‘Maternity Direct’ was to manage maternity-related calls from patients through a single number. We answered over 1,200 calls from patients.
