First Mandatory Training at Azur

December 2015 saw our first mandatory training for staff at Azur Clinic, led by Sarah Coxon, consultant midwife from Wexham Park Hospital. Midwives, theatre staff, doctors and paediatric staff attended and were updated on neonatal resuscitation, management of breech delivery, shoulder dystocia, PPH, PET, initial care of the newborn and kangaroo care, and Jax Parker, infection control nurse reminded us about hand hygiene. MAMA plan to make this an annual event, as in the UK, ensuring staff are up to date with their skills and knowledge.

By ensuring our midwives at Azur are up to date and have support in their clinical areas, MAMA can empower the midwives to give the best possible care they can by identifying potential problems, then acting promptly and appropriately in emergency situations.

Most of our women arriving at Azur in labour do so by referring themselves, but there are many who are referred by midwives or birth attendants in smaller health centres or from home in the Hoima District. The next step for MAMA is to take our skills and drills training to the staff in more rural areas where these women are being referred from and train staff to teach their colleagues; train the trainer. Using doll & pelvis, neonatal resuscitation doll and props we can act out scenarios appropriate to the setting and bring staff up to date with their maternity skills.

Healthcare workers with up to date knowledge and skills are in a better position to manage obstetric emergencies in their own clinical areas, or make a more timely and safer referral to a larger unit, thus ensuring the woman and her baby arrive in a much better condition.