Bring us your experiences of maternity services
The National Maternity Review is led by Baroness Julia Cumberlege. At its latest meeting the review team discussed vital work gathering wide ranging views of maternity services:
The national maternity review is gathering pace.
This week I am thrilled to be visiting Sweden and Denmark with review members to see what we can learn from the innovative approaches to maternity services in these two countries. I will let you know what we discover.
The review’s most recent meeting had some difficult but very important discussions, as well as encouraging updates on our work.
Listening to people’s experience of maternity services and gathering insights from midwives, doctors, nurses, managers, commissioners and other health professionals is absolutely central to the work of the review. For that reason, we have worked hard to create a communications and engagement plan that will help us to have these conversations.
At our latest meeting, the review panel discussed and endorsed the plan, I hope to blog about it in the near future.
We had a challenging but important conversation about how best we can hear the opinions and experiences of those who have had very poor experiences of maternity services. It is important that we help these people to contribute to our review, and we have more work to do on this vital aspect of our work.
Finally, panel members provided updates on the following workstreams:
- Culture and accountability
- Models of care
- Choice
- Levers and incentives
It was fantastic to see that plans are well underway for each of these areas of work. Look out for more details on this blog in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, if you want to be kept informed about the progress of the review, including receiving details of how you will be able to input and have your voice heard, please send your contact details to england.maternityreview@nhs.net
The National Maternity Review team’s terms of reference were published in March.
Baroness Julia Cumberlege, CBE DL
Baroness Julia Cumberlege CBE DL was appointed a Junior Health Minister in 1992 and for five years she covered all Health and Social Services matters in the House of Lords.
She has been commissioned by two Governments to produce two national reports: “Neighbourhood Nursing – a Focus for Care” and “Changing Childbirth”.
At the invitation of the Royal College of Physicians, Julia has chaired two working parties. The first report “Doctors in Society” was published in December 2005. The second, “Future Physician, Changing Doctors in Changing Times”, was published in May 2010.
From 2000 until July 2006, Julia chaired St George’s Medical School.
7 comments
We have to look back on mistakes made and also positive accomplishments made by those working in maternity services in order to learn and to move forwards . There are lots of driven staff in the NHS who are making a difference by being active on social media check out. http://matexp.org.uk and #MatExp
We all appreciate these updates as we care and value our maternity services
Thank you for the promised up date and I note your desire to hear from the patients who have been through their local systems. At present I’m not sure how the local populations have been notified either of your existence or how ‘easily’ they can access your information input. I only heard because of a link to the Eastbourne ‘Save the DGH’ organisation via our Chairlady.
Could I suggest that an e flyer to all the national & local papers across the country might not go amiss. I know the setting up of the National Maternity Review was published in the National Press but I think you may be surprised at just how many people have no idea of its existence, do not know of its wish for input from the ‘coal face’ or’ unfortunately’ actually believe it will make any difference to the present way maternity services are being delivered to smaller areas, like Eastbourne.
Where a once complete hospital service within a reasonably close and accessible proximity has been decimated to the detriment both the clinical and financial disadvantage of many patients; especially those less well off than any of the members of your Committee; in all core services, not just maternity.
There is a CQC report of ‘No Confidence’ and an East Sussex HOSC report with a similar response having found they were not told the truth by the Clinical organisations that were supposed to protect & provide the populations health. It’s not, generally, the clinical staff that appear to be at fault I should add.
As a former local obstetrician who worked hard to build up services that could be equated to Nottingham and Oxford at the basic levels I must admit I am horrified at the way things now seem to be working, With greatly increased numbers of staff. My daughter-in-law has just had her second baby and in some ways she and the baby ‘got away with it’ but when she had to return with a problem 3 days later there was no obstetric consultation or even discussion with a Consultant on call in Hastings, or an Eastbourne midwife, before she was discharged to her GP by A & E. {Eastbourne has no Consultant O & G service and the anbulance took her to Eastbourne DGH. But, of course, she was told to get herself to Hastings if anything should recur so nobody could be ‘blamed’ as is so often the way today across so many fields of work.
Smaller units will always have to ‘ship’ some cases out to better facilities, especially new born babies, but that said ‘big’ is not necessarily beautiful or best although they invariably do have more staff at all levels due to their training roles which does not always mean greater experience in the long run. You can only do one thing at a time even if we often wish that were not the case.
I would happily answer any questions should you feel it helpful to your deliberations.
Brian Valentine
Thank you for the update.
It is clear that the review body is working at pace to evaluate current services and ultimately develop a proactive, service user focused maternity service which is truly fit for purpose.
As a Matron for Women’s Health and Maternity Outpatient services in a small DGH i would welcome any opportunity to particulate in this review.
thank you,
Stephanie Pease
When my son was born in 2008 he got stuck and despite being called numerous times a Dr didn’t arrive to assist the midwives. He now has erbs palsy and has a metal plate and screws in his wrist and 2 ops under his belt by 6. We have to do physio and see other specialist to deal with other issues that stem from his traumatic birth. I wasn’t told about his issues and then when I was I was misinformed that it would heal itself. When I complained I would have accepted an apology..Instead I got 4 pages of excuses and lies turning the blame on me. I have now instructed solicitors on my son’s behalf. It’s a shame that due to lack of staff and rising numbers of births thus happens all to often across the UK.
As discussed with Baroness Cumberlege in Newick on 1st May 2015, we are particularly interested in the contribution to the safe care of both mother and child which can be made by new technology. In this context, we mentioned our electro-mechanical NextStep neonatal resuscitation device which combats the problem of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, replacing the much less reliable manually-operated bag valve masks and T-piece units. Will your review consider all aspects of new technology in this vital field, and the care of infants as well as mothers?
Thank you for this update – it is much appreciated. I would like to raise several questions:
As well as visiting Sweden & Denmark to see innovative approaches to maternity services, please can you give an indication of where in the UK you will be travelling to to see the innovative work going on within the NHS?
As well as listening to experiences of families who have had very poor experiences of maternity care, will you also be engaging with familes who have had exceptionally good experiences? Specifically:
-families who have had very high risk pregnancies or poor outcomes but who have still recieved outstanding care.
-familes who have had uncomplcated pregnancies with low-risk physiological births with no intervention & outstanding care.
I am concered that the Maternity Review may not reflect the majority of experiences. I have sent my contact details via email & twitter some months ago but have yet to hear anything.
When/where will the Communications and Engagement Plan be published to,enable service users and citizens to I derby and how they can provide feedback? Are you developing a digital platform? Designing services for the future should also clued conversations with the next generation of maternity service users, how will this cohort be engaged with?