Media release 31 October 2018
Successful NHS maternity service seeks to support mums-to-be from all backgrounds
Healthcare commissioners are to explore how mums-to-be from a wider range of backgrounds can benefit from a successful maternity care service in Waltham Forest.
Parents of babies born under the care of the borough’s Neighbourhood Midwives have given the service a glowing report.
A survey of the mothers of the first 100 babies born in the service’s first year shows higher than average satisfaction levels with the maternity care they received.
Nearly half (46 per cent) of the mothers responded and, of these, all (100 per cent) said:
- they received appropriate advice and support at the start of their labour when they contacted Neighbourhood Midwives (Picker average[1]87 per cent)
- when they needed attention during their birth their midwife was able to get help in a reasonable time (Picker average 59 per cent)
- both they and their partner were involved in the birth as much as they wanted to be (national averages 74 and 95 per cent)
- they were treated with respect and dignity (Picker average 88 per cent).
Neighbourhood Midwives is a social enterprise, commissioned by NHS Waltham Forest Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to provide continuity of midwifery care and the offer of a homebirth to women with low risk pregnancies.
Launched in the borough in November 2016 as a two-year pilot, which has already been extended for another year, the commissioning of Neighbourhood Midwives is part of the CCG’s work as a national Better Births – Maternity Choice and Personalisation pioneer.
In her response to the survey, one mother said: “My experience with Neighbourhood Midwives was absolutely fantastic. I believe everyone should have the opportunity to have the kind of care I received.”
Another mother said: “The post-natal care was nothing short of life changing… I want every woman to have this post-natal care.”
However, the evaluation of the service, on behalf of the CCG and Neighbourhood Midwives, also found that mums-to-be cared for by the service were likely to be older, from a white British background, with the majority planning a homebirth.
Helen Davenport, Director of Nursing, Quality and Governance at NHS Waltham Forest Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “We are delighted that this continuity-of-care pilot is providing care that supports the core Better Births recommendations on safety, choice and continuity of carer but it’s important that a broader diversity of women, who are more reflective of the people living in Waltham Forest, are given the opportunity to experience this.”
Other future service improvements suggested by mothers responding to the survey included:
- improved information on infant feeding
- ensuring women feel they have a choice of where they receive their care
- continued work to ensure handovers between Neighbourhood Midwives and other local maternity care providers, if needed, are seamless.
A closer look will also be taken at why some women said that they felt unable to move around as much as they wanted to during labour.
Annie Francis, Neighbourhood Midwives’ Chief Executive, said: “We’re very pleased with this report and the clear message from women that they feel safe, listened to and well cared for.
“As more people have become aware of our service, our referrals now come from a wider range of sources and we are confident that over time they will be more representative of the local population.”
The survey was based on the nationally-recognised Care Quality Commission maternity care programme survey, which was created to explore multiple aspects of maternity care, and is usually conducted for trusts by Picker Surveys (hence the Picker average figures given above).
The government’sNational Maternity Review ‘Better Births’ report, published in February 2016, set out the vision for NHS maternity services in England, with the aim of making them safer and more personal and kind.
Following its publication, Waltham Forest CCG successfully led a bid with Tower Hamlets and Newham CCGs to become a pioneer Better Births site.
The work is now part of the East London Local Maternity Services (ELLMS) transformation programme, with governance arrangements aligned to the East London Health and Care Partnership.
The full report Neighbourhood Midwives – A report on a survey of the experiences of the first 100 women to use the serviceis available on the Maternity page of NHS Waltham Forest Clinical Commissioning Group’s website.
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Notes to editors
- Picture captions:
Photo 1 – TheNeighbourhood Midwives team: (Back row left to right) Emma-Jane Berridge, Joanne Johnson, Jill Davie, Paulette Nelson, Laura Saad. (front, left to right) Jo Lindsell, Rebecca Urquhart, Debbie Linger, Michala Marling.
Photo 2 –Mothers supported by the Neighbourhood Midwives’ team in Waltham Forest have given the service a glowing report.
- The role of NHS Waltham Forest Clinical Commissioning Group CCG) is to commission most local health services, from cancer care to mental health, hospital operations to prescriptions. All GP practices in the borough are part of the CCG. It has a board, which meets regularly, and is chaired by a local GP.
- More information about Waltham Forest CCG can be found here
- For more information contact the NEL CSU communications team on 020 3688 1216 or [email protected]
[1]The Picker average is the average score recorded across the nationally-recognised maternity care programme survey, carried out for NHS trusts by the Picker Institute. The Waltham Forest survey was based on this.