Creating more personalised Maternity services

Date of release: 29 December 2023

Mums-to-be and birthing people across the Black Country are being asked to share their views on a proposal to provide a more personalised experience for them.

The Black Country Local Maternity and Neonatal System (BCLMNS) is looking at a way of working across Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

This would mean that care is based on where women and birthing people plan to have their babies – rather than being based on geography.

Helen Hurst, Chief Midwifery Officer for the LMNS, said: “We want to work with our Midwives and our service users to shape their Antenatal and Postnatal experience in a way that works best for them.

“Safer and personalised Maternity care is our collective priority across the LMNS with our goal to ensure women receive dedicated support from one Midwifery team throughout their pregnancy, building a relationship based on trust.

“At the moment, service users may have all their appointments in one area but actually plan to give birth in a completely different area. We believe, from the feedback we’ve already received, that they would prefer to limit the number of healthcare professionals they see to create a more personal relationship.

“Our idea would see Black Country Midwives with service users having care in the Antenatal and Postnatal period from the organisation they will be birthing with.

“A lot of work has been going on over the last 12 months to enhance the services we provide but to create a more rewarding way of working for our teams here. The LMNS has been working in collaboration with the Black Country ICS (Integrated Care System) to develop a proposal for a workforce model that is fit for purpose, equitable, sustainable and inclusive. Our Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships (MNVPs) are also key to this important proposal.

“Now we want to know if we’ve got this right and this is where we need people to complete a survey we have developed to help us shape the future of their Maternity services.”

The survey is available in seven languages and can be accessed on Microsoft Forms.

It is due to close on Wednesday 20 March 2024.

ENDS