Correspondent: Roosa Tikkanen and Adam Briggs
To help fulfill its goal of halving maternity-related deaths by 2025, the NHS Long Term Plan aims to expand nationwide the Surrey Heartlands Pregnancy Advice Line, which provides new and expectant mothers guidance on labor, breastfeeding, and other pregnancy-related health problems. The 24-hour advice line, staffed by midwives, averages 126 calls per day and has already helped some 20,000 women in the past year. The NHS also plans to provide continuous care to expectant women, enhance mental health services, provide specialist smoking cessation support, and offer mothers access to maternal health records through their smart phones.