IFS Wales

IFS Wales (Intrapartum Fetal Surveillance Wales) is a national maternity safety and learning programme funded by the Welsh Risk Pool. Fetal monitoring has been identified as a critical contributory factor in cases where improvements in care may have prevented a poor outcome. Between 2021 and 2024, intrapartum fetal surveillance was a contributing factor in 24 out of 95 reimbursed clinical negligence maternity claims in NHS Wales, resulting in payments exceeding 20 million pounds, alongside immeasurable emotional distress to families.

A scoping review in early 2023 highlighted significant variation in the provision of fetal monitoring training across NHS Wales and identified a clear appetite for a standardised approach. In response, a national multiprofessional team of consultant obstetricians and specialist midwives was recruited in May 2023, coordinated by the Welsh Risk Pool Safety and Learning Team.

IFS Wales is a full day, face to face multiprofessional training programme for all midwives and obstetric doctors. The programme covers the following areas:

• Fetal physiology and cardiotocography (CTG) interpretation
• Intermittent auscultation
• Escalation strategies
• Human factors including situational awareness, teamworking and communication

IFS Wales directly responds to Standard 4 of the All Wales Intrapartum Fetal Surveillance Standards (2023) and aligns with the priorities set out in The Path to Safer Beginnings in Wales (Holland, 2026). The programme is further supported by a range of UK national reports and recommendations, including the Ockenden Report, the East Kent Review and MBRRACE-UK, all of which consistently call for structured, mandatory and multiprofessional training in fetal surveillance.