GBS patient leaflet for all pregnant women

By Rob Dabrowski on 19 December 2017 Antenatal / Prenatal GBS - Group B Strep RCOG - Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

A new group B Strep (GBS) patient leaflet will be provided to all pregnant women as part of their routine antenatal care.

It was jointly written by experts at the RCOG and the campaigning charity Group B Strep Support.

The content is based on the RCOG’s recently updated Green-top Guideline, Group B Streptococcal Disease, Early-onset.

It is online now and will be available as a hard copy in 2018 from Group B Strep Support.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: ‘We want the NHS to be the safest place in the world to give birth, and part of the fight for safer births is about arming parents and NHS staff with knowledge to spot signs and take preventative action.

‘This programme giving parents clear information on the signs of group B Strep infection and guidance on when to seek medical advice is another welcome and important step towards achieving our ambition.’

GBS is the UK’s most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies.

However, a recent survey found that only a third of pregnant women feel adequately informed about GBS, and said they were more likely to hear about GBS from a friend, or through personal experience, than from health professionals.

For more information, click here.