New standards published in Obstetric Anaesthetics and Epilepsy

Collaboration is key to all our work at PRSB. Recently, we’ve been working closely with the RCPCH and the Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association  to publish two new standards, alongside an update to the NHS Health Check Standard commissioned by NHS England. We would like to thank everyone involved for their support and partnership in developing these standards through many stages of development and iteration, following consultation in workshops, webinars, and expert groups. The standards are now published in draft as we seek endorsement.

In late February, we hosted our first Automating for Better Care (A4BC) forum, driving collaboration across the UK for safer, smarter and more sustainable medicines pathways. We have also launched a new project on diabetes devices, aimed at making patient data more accessible for clinicians.

Around 60% of births in UK hospitals involve anaesthetists, yet national data on obstetric anaesthesia is limited and often inconsistently recorded. The new Obstetric Anaesthetic Standard provides a nationally agreed approach for recording and sharing key information. By defining a core dataset, it supports consistent recording and helps to close this gap.

Evidence from the RCPCH Epilepsy12 audit highlighted variations in data quality, inconsistent diagnoses, and limited system interoperability. The new Epilepsy Information Standard provides a nationally agreed approach for recording and sharing epilepsy information, with a common set of items supported by consistent clinical terminology.

Improving access to diabetes device data

The NHS has made huge investments in wearable technology to support people to manage their diabetes as part of its 5-year implementation strategy This includes continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps and hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems. These technologies help to improve the quality of life of people with diabetes and reduce diabetes emergencies. The burden of living with diabetes is significant with people having to review complex data and make calculations to optimise insulin dosing.

HCL systems deliver insulin automatically using a calculation based on continuous glucose measurements. However, much of the patient-generated data from these devices remains difficult for healthcare professional to access limiting its potential to support personalised care.

PRSB is now leading the next phase of work on the standards to support the safe, consistent and clinically meaningful access to this data. We are looking for healthcare professionals, industry partners, and patient groups to get involved and help shape this work.

Accelerating progress in connected
medicines management 

In February, we held our first Automating for Better Care (A4BC) Forum of 2026, marking a new phase for the programme delivered by the PRSB. Medicines are central to patient care, but their prescribing and dispensing remains fragmented, inefficient and error prone. Supported by digitalisation and automation, connected medication management offers the opportunity to improve safety, reduce waste, improve patient care and free up clinical time.  

By bringing together the NHS, industry and policy leaders from across the UK, A4BC is shaping this transformation through co-developing solutions, aligning standards and sharing best practice. The 2026 programme will focus on formulary mapping, supporting efficient prescribing practices across all secondary care settings, driving a standardised approach to connecting electronic prescribing to point of care. Alongside this, the programme will deliver a policy and advocacy programme to shape policy and investment decisions in key areas including medicines barcoding.  

PRSB has updated the NHS Health Check Standard with a new section on administration. NHS Health Checks assess an adult’s risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other conditions. The new section introduces a structured approach for recording key administrative information related to the delivery of the check.

This includes how individuals were invited, the completion status of the check and the start date. Standardised SNOMED CT codes support consistent recording across systems. The standard is currently undergoing the Information Standards Notice (ISN) process, the formal route used within the NHS to approve and mandate information standards across health and care systems. Once completed, we will notify organisations of the implementation requirements and timelines.

"Care plans should be a shared, living record."

We know that personalised care planning works best when everyone supporting a person, from their GP and hospital teams to community services and local pharmacies, can easily access and share the right information. This relies on systems that provide reliable, standardised information and on people having the support they need to use them confidently. We spoke to Julian Meres, lead health and wellbeing coach for the Hillingdon Confederation, to hear how care planning is delivered across his network.

PRSB partnership scheme continues to grow

PRSB’s Partnership Scheme continues to thrive, with a vibrant community of supplier partners supporting the development and adoption of our standards. Several partners are currently going through the standards conformance assessment process, and we are delighted that so many of you are continuing to support and value your partnership with PRSB. We are planning to extend the scheme, which currently includes suppliers and provider organisations, to also include clinical and social care professional experts. More information will be shared soon.

Find out more about our partners here. 

Next Advisory Board meeting

Our Advisory Board meets quarterly to discuss key topics related to the development and maintenance of health and care standards. These meetings provide an opportunity for members to share insights, provide feedback, and help shape the direction of our standards work. The next meeting is 29 April, 1–3pm. If you’re a member and haven’t yet signed up, or didn’t receive an invite, please let us know so we can ensure you’re included.

Our newsletter is sent out quarterly and includes our latest news, standards publications, partner news and events, along with regular blog features. If there is something you would like to share with our community, please get in touch and we can include it in a future edition.