Quality standard

This quality standard covers the induction of labour in hospital outpatient or inpatient settings. It includes advice and care for pregnant women who are considering or having induction of labour. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.

It does not cover the induction of labour for women with diabetes or multiple pregnancies, or augmentation (acceleration) of established labour. NICE has published quality standards on diabetes in pregnancy and multiple pregnancy.

The quality standard uses the terms 'woman' or 'mother' throughout. These should be taken to include people who do not identify as women but who are pregnant.

In November 2021, changes were made to align this quality standard with the updated NICE guideline on inducing labour. Statement 2 and statement 4 were updated to better reflect the updated guideline. For more information see update information.

How to use NICE quality standards and how we develop them

Quality standards help you improve the quality of care you provide or commission. They apply in England and Wales (see the UK government website and Welsh government website). Decisions on how they apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland are made by ministers in the Scottish government and Northern Ireland Executive.

Find out how to use quality standards and how we develop them. We check our quality standards every August to make sure they are up to date.