The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) welcomes the King’s Fund discussion paper The role of GPs in maternity care - what does the future hold?
The paper looks at the changing role of the GP over the past 30 years and gives recommendations on how they can contribute to the delivery of high quality maternity care.
The recommendations state that GPs should be more involved in pre-conception and antenatal care, with particular responsibilities in the first trimester. It is also recommended that GPs could provide counselling and health promotion, information about screening, and a visit in early pregnancy to check the woman’s general health. GPs should also be closely involved in the postnatal period for follow-up checks for pregnancy conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
In addition, the paper states that they should be part of an effective multidisciplinary team working with midwives and obstetricians in which the roles, responsibilities and lines of communication are clear. This will provide better continuity of care for women.
At the moment, there is no structure to enable better shared working between professionals, though some best practice models exist. Community-based care pathways linking GPs, midwives and consultants need to be developed. GPs should be involved in midwifery practices so that medical advice can be provided when sought. There is also the issue of ensuring that GPs, for those wishing to provide maternity care, receive adequate training and supervision in elements of specialist care. This needs to be refreshed regularly, as part of the GP’s continuous professional development.
Professor Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran RCOG President said “We welcome closer working relationships with our GP colleagues. GPs are trusted by women and their families and they may wish to see the GP to confirm the pregnancy or to be examined if they develop symptoms of excessive vomiting or bleeding.
“These new recommendations are a step in the right direction as they emphasise the importance of GPs in maternity care. The paper builds on the CMACE report Saving Mothers’ Lives and Standards for Maternity Care report which both made a number of recommendations for GPs such as providing pre-pregnancy care for women with existing medical problems. A multi disciplinary approach involving obstetricians, anaesthetists, midwives and GPs is vital for effective care for pregnant women.
“Family doctors have a good knowledge of the woman’s health; some of whom many have received treatment from a young age. The knowledge of the woman’s medical history is crucial and such information needs to be transmitted to healthcare professionals providing secondary care. It is therefore important for communications channels between GPs, midwives and obstetricians to be clear so that any potential problems (eg. cardiac disease, psychiatric illness) are picked up early during the pregnancy and appropriate care provided.
“GPs will also need to receive appropriate training to equip them for their role in maternity care and we will work with the Royal College of General Practitioners to ensure this happens effectively.”
Wednesday 4 August 2010
Notes
To view the King's Fund discussion paper please click here.