The NHS has set new clinical standards for maternity services across England to “significantly reduce” the number of deaths of women during or after pregnancy.
As part of these new clinical standards, due to be fully rolled out by March 2027, women with epilepsy will be able to access local specialist teams to help manage their epilepsy during pregnancy.
Women will also be offered a tailored seizure control plan with access to medications that are safer for use in pregnancy, the NHS said.
This initiative is targeting five areas identified by the MBRRACE-UK reports as the leading causes of maternal deaths, one of which was epilepsy.
Other areas that the new standards will target include earlier assessments for blood clots in deep veins, routine mental health assessments, and more timely specialist care around significant blood loss after birth.
These clinical standards are part of the NHS’s maternal care bundle, a collaborative effort between clinicians, families and partner organisations, including charities.
Epilepsy Action Maternity Project
Epilepsy Action has been working to improve safety and experiences for pregnant people with epilepsy through its Maternity Project.
The organisation has collaborated with the maternity and midwifery team covering the North West of England to identify problems people with epilepsy face in pregnancy, and create solutions.
The organisation has put together clinical guidance which explains how to keep someone safe before, during and after pregnancy, as well as a benchmarking tool. These resources have been used by all maternity hospitals in the North West and South East of England, and are currently being rolled out in other areas of the UK.
Alison Fuller, director of health improvement and influencing at Epilepsy Action, said: “It’s really positive and encouraging to see the NHS has put epilepsy front and centre in the new clinical standards for maternity services. We know women with the condition face significantly higher risks in pregnancy and so the new measures should give them the specialised care they deserve and ultimately reduce maternal deaths.
“However, this is only one part of the picture and we need to ensure that maternity care is not just integrated locally but also that is represented nationally. There is currently no representation of epilepsy in the new Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, announced by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting. We have written to the Minister to seek his reassurances on this so we can bring our expertise in improving maternity outcomes for women and their babies at a national level.”
Changing outcomes for women
The NHS explained that between 2022 and 2024, there were 252 maternal deaths, down only slightly from 257 maternal deaths between 2021 and 2023.
According to the health organisation, research shows that improvements in care could have changed the outcome in almost half of the deaths between 2021 and 2023.
Chief midwifery officer for England, Kate Brintworth, said the measures will ensure “no stone is left unturned” for the one in five women who have medical issues during pregnancy.
She said: “Every death during or after pregnancy is a tragedy especially when differences in care may have changed the outcome.
“We still see symptoms of serious medical problems being missed, especially for Black and Asian women.
“By setting out these clinical standards and holding hospitals to account we can significantly reduce avoidable deaths and prevent future tragedies.”
Keeping pregnancy safe
Working to improve outcomes and experiences during pregnancy for people with epilepsy.