What is the new Maternity Outcomes Signal System (Moss)?

Moss is a new NHS England system that statistically tracks maternal and infant deaths and serious harm on all NHS maternity wards to identify potential problems early.

How will Moss improve maternity care at NHS trusts?

Moss alerts leadership teams to investigate if adverse outcomes at a ward occur significantly more often than expected, triggering critical safety checks.

Who developed the Moss early warning system for NHS?

The Moss system was developed by NHS England in collaboration with Dr. Bill Kirkup and Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, experts in patient safety and statistics.

Home / Health / NHS Launches New Maternity Safety Watchdog

NHS Launches New Maternity Safety Watchdog

8 Dec

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Summary

New system tracks maternal and infant deaths and harms on all NHS wards.
Alerts trigger urgent safety checks if harm rates double.
Developed with experts, it aims to prevent past failings.
System will monitor all 120 NHS maternity units 24/7.

NHS Launches New Maternity Safety Watchdog

NHS England has launched a pioneering early warning system to enhance safety for mothers and newborns across its maternity wards. Named the Maternity Outcomes Signal System (Moss), it will continuously monitor data on deaths and serious harm, comparing outcomes across all NHS hospital trusts. This real-time statistical analysis aims to identify wards where adverse events are occurring at rates significantly higher than expected, indicating potential care issues rather than chance.

When the system detects a 95% statistical confidence that harm rates have doubled, ward leadership must initiate critical safety checks within eight working days. A 99% confidence level will trigger urgent attention, requiring senior trust executives to review care and sign off on actions. This proactive approach is designed to prevent the recurrence of failings that have led to hundreds of preventable deaths and injuries in recent years, as highlighted by inquiries into trusts like East Kent and Shrewsbury & Telford.