Marking the launch of the 20th international Group B Strep Awareness Month on 1 July, NHS Resolution has recently introduced a series of new learning codes to its claims management system to improve the identification of injuries suffered by babies in the neonatal period.
The learning codes, which went live on 1 April 2020, include a new injury code for group B Streptococcus infections – the most common cause of largely preventable life-threatening infection in new-born babies.
“Our new learning codes are designed to increase data accuracy and improve the safety of maternal and neonatal care in the future” explains Denise Chaffer, Director of Safety and Learning at NHS Resolution. “The codes will help us to work with NHS trusts to monitor the level of claims, identify trends and highlight learning themes to inform future work that will drive improvements.”
Strep B infections can have a devastating impact on mothers and their newborns, and can be entirely preventable. These new learning codes will provide valuable insight into what more can be done, as we strive to make the NHS the safest place in the world to give birth. Alongside this improved data, we are already funding a large-scale clinical trial to understand whether universal screening for Group B Strep can save the lives of more babies.
Minister for Patient Safety Nadine Dorries
Group B Strep Support (GBSS), the group B Strep charity, welcomes the introduction of the new codes by NHS Resolution. Jane Plumb, MBE, Chief Executive of GBSS said “This is a real step forward in understanding the true burden of group B Strep clinical negligence claims. These codes will mean we can gain more insight into common themes in claims. This will help trusts share learning to improve prevention, so that fewer families suffer the devastation that Strep B can bring.”
