County Durham and Darlington's maternity service has secured prestigious funding from the RCN Foundation Quality Improvement Programme to support an innovative project aimed at improving outcomes for babies and families living in some of the region's most deprived communities.

The funding was successfully secured by Laura Hamilton, Matron for Public Health and Inequalities, whose project, "Reaching the Unseen Parent/Significant Other: A Midwife-Led Partner Education Intervention to Reduce Infant Risk in Deprived Families", seeks to strengthen infant safety by ensuring vital health information reaches those who play a key role in caring for newborns at home.

The initiative recognises that while maternity services provide extensive education and support to pregnant women and birthing people throughout their pregnancy, partners and other household caregivers often do not attend antenatal appointments or education sessions.

As a result, important safety messages may not always reach everyone involved in a baby's day-to-day care.

To address this challenge, the project will introduce a simple but innovative educational intervention.

During booking appointments, eligible women and birthing people will receive a card to share with their partner or main support person.

The card will feature a QR code linking to a series of short, accessible videos covering key topics, including:

  • Safe sleep practices
  • The impact of smoking on babies
  • Feeding support
  • Recognising when mum or baby needs urgent medical help
  • Supporting parental mental health
  • Practical advice for the first week at home

The digital resources have been designed to extend preventative health messages beyond clinical settings and into the home, without increasing appointment times or placing additional demands on clinical teams.

The project will initially be piloted in communities experiencing the highest levels of deprivation across County Durham and Darlington. Following evaluation, there is potential for the programme to be expanded more widely across the area.

This work recognises the important role that partners and other household caregivers play in keeping babies safe during the early weeks of life.

Laura's successful bid reflects the Trust's commitment to tackling health inequalities, improving infant safety and developing innovative approaches to support families. 

Laura and maternity colleagues will work closely with the Trust's communications team to develop the educational videos and supporting materials ahead of the pilot launch.

The funding award represents an important step forward in addressing health inequalities and ensuring families have access to the information and support they need to give babies the safest possible start in life.

Laura Hamilton Matron for Public Health and Inequalities