Patient & Family Support
Maternal critical illness can have a lasting impact on women, babies and families.[1] While many women recover physically, the emotional and psychological effects can continue long after discharge from hospital.[2][1]
For every maternal death, an estimated 70–90 women experience life-threatening complications requiring critical or high-dependency care[3][4]. Additionally, almost one in every 10 pregnant or recently pregnant women will be become unwell enough to require additional care in a maternity setting (Enhanced Maternal Care)[5]. Women admitted to intensive care face significantly increased risks of hospital readmission, mental health difficulties and ongoing rehabilitation needs.[1]
MCCA exists to:
Education & Training
Recognising deterioration in pregnant and recently pregnant women requires specialist knowledge and multidisciplinary collaboration.[6]
MCCA supports the development and provision of education programmes designed to improve confidence, preparedness and decision-making across maternity, critical care and acute healthcare settings.
Through collaboration with regional and national programmes, we aim to ensure healthcare professionals have access to the knowledge and resources needed to provide safe and effective care for critically ill women.
Our work promotes:
Best Practice & Policy
Maternal critical illness sits at the intersection of multiple specialities.[6] Multidisciplinary teams within maternity, critical care, other acute hospital settings, pre-hospital care and community services all play a vital role in care, yet historically there has been no single organisation bringing these teams together.
MCCA provides a collaborative platform to improve standards of care through:
By connecting professionals, organisations and healthcare systems, we aim to reduce variation in care and improve outcomes for critically ill pregnant and recently pregnant women.
References
- ^ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00134-024-07417-4 (opens in a new window)
- ^ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1471-2393-14-133 (opens in a new window)
- ^ https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/assets/downloads/mbrrace-uk/reports/maternal-report-2022/MBRRACE-UK_Maternal_CORE_Report_2022_v10.pdf (opens in a new window)
- ^ https://associationofanaesthetists-publications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/anae.15798 (opens in a new window)
- ^ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40661057/ (opens in a new window)
- ^ https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/mbrrace-uk/reports/maternal-reports/maternal-report-2021-2023 (opens in a new window)
Support our cause:
The Maternal Critical Care Alliance is currently in the process of registering as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Application Pending). Until formal registration is granted by the Charity Commission, The Maternal Critical Care Alliance does not hold registered charity status. We do not currently represent ourselves as a registered charity, nor are donations eligible for Gift Aid at this time. All activities, contracts and digital channels during this interim phase are managed by the prospective founding trustees