King's College London

Objective This service evaluation aimed to collect data on clinical handover on labour ward and compare them with the local guideline. Design and methods This service evaluation was structured in four stages, each using a different design and research methods. Setting The study was undertaken between September 2013 and August 2014 in a maternity unit in a large NHS teaching hospital in London, UK. Findings and conclusion Communication breakdown is widely considered to be a significant factor contributing to poor patient outcomes, with handover being a major risk point.The discrepancy between the local guideline and current clinical practice reinforces the belief that urgent action is needed to improve clinical handover on labour ward.The results of this service evaluation suggest that a drastic overhaul of the communication model during handover should be considered, ie from handover to takeover, and that the mnemonic SBAR may not be fit-for-purpose in maternity care and should be replaced with a different format that reflects the chronological flow of clinical events.