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Chapter 30 - Maternity Training in the Twenty-First Century

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 October 2025

Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London
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Summary

Obstetric emergencies are frequently encountered on labour wards and in maternity units across the world. To manage these emergencies safely, a maternity team is required to demonstrate excellent collaboration to care for mothers, birthing people and babies in challenging circumstances. Such skills can be learnt and developed through simulation training. Yet, improvements in team working, and the need to transform the working culture of maternity organisations have been recurrently recommended following several high-profile inquiries and national reviews of care (Saving Babies’ Lives Version Three 2023, Ockenden Report 2022, Kirkup Report 2015). In this chapter, we explore the benefits of maternity training, and consider how to establish and ensure the success of a training programme. We reflect on the limitations of current simulation training in the UK, then look ahead to an exciting future of innovation in the field which aims to make birth safer for mothers, birthing people and babies globally.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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