The Rosie Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The Rosie has 5,300 deliveries each year and in 2018 there were 89 twin pregnancies and two triplet pregnancies. On average, 21,000 scans are carried out each year.

We audited the unit in May 2017 as part of our Maternity Engagement Project, and teams there were confident they were offering a good service to twin mums with evidence of good practice. The unit already based much of its care on NICE QS46 guidelines. 

Staff at The Rosie had already embedded a ‘fewer for newer’ policy (replacing old equipment with new, resulting in fewer machines and less maintenance) and ‘grow your own scheme’ (offering a rolling training programme for sonographers, creating closer links with local higher education establishments, focusing more on staff wellbeing and development, organising shadowing opportunities and away days).

But the audit showed there was still room for improvement. 

Antenatal continuity was limited, there was no twin specific midwife, no twin growth charts and some discrepancy in the standard of ultrasound reporting.

Staff got involved in the project, took part in more training and development, attended study days, organised site visits to other units, had work peer reviewed and embedded Continuing Professional Development (CPD) into working practices.

A twin ultrasound clinic was established ensuring continuity of sonographer and twin growth charts are being used. An experienced sonographer works with a more junior member of the team and they work together in pairs once every two weeks so they should be seeing the same women each time.

The team are already getting great feedback about that service and from the sonographers who are enjoying the continuity of care.