The Pilot Phase

 

Image of group presentation of IFS Wales from Jonathan Webb

This was delivered between September 2023 and December 2024, focused on establishing a standardised national approach to intrapartum fetal surveillance across Wales. This phase enabled testing of programme content, faculty development processes, delivery models and implementation strategies across all Health Boards. Feedback from participants, facilitators and local leads, alongside emerging maternity safety intelligence and national recommendations, informed the development of Edition 2.  

Evaluation Highlights from the Pilot Phase

 

  • 1,380 delegates completed post course evaluations, comprising 1,143 midwives, 198 obstetricians and 39 other professionals including student midwives, medical students and university lecturers.
  • 72% of delegates rated their knowledge as exceptional or very good after the course, compared to 19.6% before the course.
  • The proportion rating their knowledge as fair fell from 28.5% to 2.9%, indicating a pronounced positive shift in knowledge and confidence.
  • The programme received an average overall rating of 8.82 out of 10 across all Health Boards.
  • 98% of delegates confirmed the content was suitably pitched for their professional role.

Ongoing Evaluation

 

Evaluation of IFS Wales is ongoing, combining delegate and facilitator feedback with observational review of training delivery. Data is collected in alignment with the Kirkpatrick evaluation model, with the current edition of the programme designed to measure the extent to which delegates apply their learning in practice. Baseline clinical outcome data has been secured across all Health Boards and will provide the foundation for long term measurement of clinical impact as the programme matures.

 

Health board's during the Pilot Phase:

ABUHB group image for the pilot phase 

 

BCUHB group image for the pilot phase 

 

CVUHB group image for the pilot phase 

 

SBUHB group image for the Pilot phase

 

Edition 2 (2025) 

Focused on strengthening consistency, improving educational delivery and embedding key principles of physiological interpretation, escalation and multiprofessional communication. Evaluation demonstrated high levels of participant satisfaction and confidence, whilst also identifying opportunities to streamline content, increase interactivity and further integrate human factors and clinical decision making throughout the programme. 

Edition 3 (2026) 

Represents the culmination of this iterative development process. The programme has transitioned towards a more integrated, case-based approach that reflects the realities of clinical practice. Content has been refined to reduce duplication, intrapartum auscultation has been embedded throughout relevant chapters, and greater emphasis has been placed on clinical reasoning, communication, escalation and the application of human factors principles. The development of Edition 3 was informed by participant feedback, observation of training, national standards and learning from maternity safety reviews, investigations and claims. 

Following three years of progressive development and refinement, no major content revisions are planned for 2027. This decision reflects the need to allow Health Boards sufficient time to fully embed Edition 3, establish faculty confidence and consistency in delivery, and generate meaningful outcome and evaluation data before any further substantial programme changes are considered.