SOCN was commissioned in 2018 in response to the MBRRACE-UK report, “Saving Lives, Improving Mothers’ Care”, published in 2016, which highlighted that cardiac disease remained the largest indirect cause of death in pregnancy.
The network facilitates clinical and other improvements in the area of obstetric cardiology through delivery of objectives set by the National Specialist Services Committee (NSSC) for NHS Boards and SGHSCD within the national commissioning process. The network encompasses care for women who either have a pre-existing cardiac condition before pregnancy or go on to develop cardiac conditions during pregnancy.
By identifying opportunities to develop guidance, the network will improve outcomes for women with cardiac disease and support implementation of optimal care to any women with a cardiac condition who is contemplating a pregnancy or has a pregnancy in Scotland.
The network will highlight the potential points in the clinical pathway of care to improve outcomes in pre-pregnancy counselling, antenatal care and post-partum care. This includes advice and access to contraception and consideration of the importance of their cardiac status when assisted conception is being planned.
Facilitating collaboration within and across the multi-disciplinary teams involved in a woman’s care at local, regional and national levels is a key goal of the network. This work will build on a data set developed and analysed by the network. The care experiences and outcomes for both the woman with a cardiac condition and the pregnancy will be reported.
Inclusive Language: Best practice in inclusive language is evolving and SOCN will strive to ensure it communicates as effectively and respectfully as possible with stakeholders. The language we use reflects that most pregnant people identify as women. In practice this means that most commonly we will use the terms “woman” or “women” in the information we produce. It is important to highlight that it is not only those who identify as women who require access to women’s health and reproductive services. For example, some transgender men, non-binary people, and intersex people or people with variations in sex characteristics may also experience pregnancy. All healthcare services should be respectful and responsive to individual needs