Quality standard

This quality standard covers care during labour and birth for women who need extra support because they have a medical condition or complications in their current or previous pregnancy. It also covers women who have had no antenatal care. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement. It does not cover the antenatal and postnatal care of pregnant women with mental health conditions, hypertension in pregnancy, diabetes in pregnancy or the organisation of care for pregnant women with complex social factors.

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.