RESUSCITATION experts are running a new course to ensure the county's newborn babies are in the safest hands.

The nationally approved course, the first to be accredited in the South Midlands, is being run at hospitals within Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Newborn Life Support course has become established as the most effective way of providing staff with the skills required for prompt, effective resuscitation.

It should mean that wherever a baby is born in Worcestershire, the right people will be available immediately to revive it.

Course director and paediatric consultant Dr Andrew Short said it was important to have someone present with the right skills when problems occurred in the first few minutes of a baby's life.

"Being born is the most hazardous journey we all undertake, and it is essential to have the right emergency services available," he said.

The course aims to teach practical skills, and uses the facilities at the Charles Hastings Education Centre at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

The four-strong resuscitation team provides support and training for all staff at Worcester, Redditch and Kidderminster hospitals.