A specialist midwife worked with charity to improve maternity services for families expecting multiple births in Lincolnshire including at Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital.
Abigail Higgins, a preterm and multiples lead midwife, collaborated with Twins Trust a charity that supports families with twins or more.
An action plan was then created for improving care. Twins Trust supported University Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals (ULTH) for a year.
Pilgrim Hospital Boston made met 95 per cent of health guidelines but that figure has now risen to 98 per cent.
The rise was even starker in Lincoln County Hospital which rose from 67 per cent to 95 per cent.
Abigail said: “The multiple pregnancy clinics at Lincoln and Pilgrim have an allocated lead consultant, Dr Vandana Agarwal at Lincoln County Hospital and Dr Manjusha Sant at Pilgrim Hospital Boston.
“I attend these clinics and look after the families during the antenatal part of pregnancy. As a team we provide continuity and consistency, which is important to our families. It encourages a trusted relationship to form and gives families confidence in the care they receive, which is especially vital as multiple pregnancies are categorised as high risk.
“We do the simple things well, such as implementing a care plan for each patient and having a robust referral service if complications arise.
Parents Isabelle and Alex Reed, also had twins at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston last year and were looked after by midwife Abigail.
Isabelle said: “Abi was our rock throughout and would happily explain what was happening in a way we understood.
“She made it a very personal experience; was always prepared for my never-ending list of questions and was always happy to help with whatever I needed.
“Our twins, Mya and Max were born and Mya needed breathing support, so she went up to the neonatal unit with Alex.
“Everyone in the hospital was so supportive with our journey and although we had lots of bumps along the way we felt reassured by Abi and her colleagues.”
