Teamwork, leadership and collaboration: driving perinatal improvement across south London

On 14 October 2025, Hebe Davies-Colley, MatNeo Programme Lead, and Zoe Taylor, Project Manager, with planning support from Karen Ang, Senior QI Project Manager, facilitated one of the sessions for the Q community’s maternity improvement series to share how collaborative, data-driven support is helping teams embed safer perinatal care across south London.

Why perinatal improvement matters

While pregnancy and birth are positive experiences for many, quality of care still varies across England. Maternity and neonatal services remain a national priority, with independent investigations and rising litigation underscoring the need for consistent, high-quality care.

In 2023–24, 41 per cent of NHS Resolution compensation payments related to maternity claims, totalling around £1.15 billion. In response, NHS England has commissioned a range of patient safety programmes, including the Perinatal Optimisation Pathway (POP), which aims to reduce mortality and brain injury in babies born before 34 weeks.

Our role at the HIN

The Health Innovation Network South London supports sustainable quality improvement by working with clinical teams in trusts, local maternity and neonatal systems (LMNS), and integrated care boards (ICBs). We help teams turn national priorities into practical, local change - from clarifying aims and measures to building the conditions for lasting improvement.

Engaging stakeholders and building trust

Drawing on our work with south London teams, we shared practical stakeholder engagement strategies that help improvement gain traction, build trust and maintain momentum. These strategies include:

• understanding national and local priorities, including maternity incentive scheme requirements;
• building psychological safety and trust so teams feel supported, not judged;
• using data and patient stories together to show impact; and
• aligning work with existing meetings and structures to reduce burden.

We also stressed the value of identifying local champions and tailoring support to each team’s context, pace and priorities so that change is owned locally and sustained over time.

Making improvement sustainable

Sustainability is at the heart of our approach. From the outset, we plan for changes to become part of everyday practice so that benefits continue beyond the initial project. That means:

• providing practical support such as clear action tracking;
• celebrating success and sharing learning across trusts;
• avoiding reliance on short-term roles or unsustainable processes; and
• coaching teams to develop their own solutions and internal capability.

We also protect the goodwill of our clinical partners by being mindful of their time and priorities, ensuring that improvement work adds value rather than extra pressure.

Impact and outcomes

The results of this collaborative approach are encouraging. Since late 2022, south London has seen a marked rise in preterm babies receiving all eligible interventions, with compliance now consistently above the national average.

As of December 2024, across the London region:

• 92 per cent of eligible women received magnesium sulphate, an intervention associated with reduced cerebral palsy risk - an estimated 61 cases potentially prevented;
• this equates to an estimated £61 million cost saving to the NHS and wider society;

more than 282 lives may have been saved across London over six years through full pathway implementation.

Conclusion

Improvement work is challenging and, at the same time, lifesaving. By fostering a culture of collaboration, trust and shared learning, we can continue to improve outcomes for babies and families across south London. Thank you to the Q community for the opportunity to share our journey, and to the dedicated professionals driving this work every day.