Ambulance service introduces 'red phone' to pre-alert maternity emergencies

The Welsh Ambulance Service has introduced a new system to pre-alert hospital staff about maternity emergencies, allowing ambulance crews a single point of access to obstetric units via the Consultant Connect app helping them to forewarn maternity units about time-critical obstetric emergencies ahead of the patient’s arrival.

The ‘red phone’ initiative has been introduced in response to a Health Services Safety Investigations Body report published in 2022. Bethan Jones, Perinatal Safety Champion and Midwife at the Welsh Ambulance Service said this report “underlined the importance of the pre-alert process in time-critical maternity situations, and this work supports a proactive and system-led approach to developing solutions.”

“Every second counts in an emergency, so the more information we can relay to the maternity unit, the better they can prepare by calling in the right clinicians and organising everything they need to deliver emergency care.”
Bethan Jones, Welsh Ambulance Service.

So far, four Welsh health boards have joined the initiative, with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board being the most recent to come on board.

The ‘red phone’ protocol is the latest initiative introduced by the Welsh Ambulance Service to improve the care it provides to new parents, their babies and their families. Every ambulance and response car in the Trust’s fleet has ‘Neo-HeLP’ suits on board to keep newborn babies warm. Consultant Paramedic and Regional Clinical Lead Steve Magee also led the introduction hand-knitted ‘cuddle pockets’ so that stillborn babies can be transported to hospital with compassion.

Ambulance service introduces ‘red phone’ to pre-alert maternity emergencies