A hospital in Greater Manchester is the first in the country to screen pregnant women for foetal birth defects caused by alcohol consumption.
Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s Alcohol Liaison Service and Specialist Midwife, Mags Deakin, have developed a programme aimed to prevent foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
The programme enables increased screenings during pregnancy and allows maternal alcohol consumption to be included on the baby’s medical notes.
Midwives at the hospital can join monthly education programmes, which use dolls to demonstrate the malformation in facial development that is caused through alcohol consumption in pregnancy.
The Chief Executive of the NHS Trust, Karen James, said the programme would send messages to the public on the effects of drinking during pregnancy.
“The release of this pathway is the culmination of nearly 18 months of hard work by this talented team.
“It ensures that there will be a seamless approach to both the identification of alcohol consumption in pregnancy and subsequent education offered to pregnant women around preventing developmental disability associated with low-level alcohol consumption,” she said.
Research on alcohol during pregnancy can be found in MIDIRS Reference Database.
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Source: Nursing Times
