Parents and other people with experience of local maternity services in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay are currently being asked for their views on local maternity services in the county.
During the course of a pregnancy, a woman is likely to have experienced care from more than four different NHS services. These range from midwife appointments, scans at the local hospital, antenatal clinics, GP appointments and then the actual labour experience itself.
The call for feedback extends not just to mums – feedback is also sought from fathers, partners, carers, family members and anyone else who has experience of maternity services that they can call on and share.
Through this engagement, the NHS in Devon will explore the recommendations of NHS England’s Better Births review. This national review focuses on personalised care, continuity of carer (i.e. seeing the same health professionals), better postnatal and perinatal mental health care, digital medical records and the wider planning of maternity services.
During this time, NHS staff will be attending local children’s centre groups and events right across the county to hear first-hand people’s experience of maternity services in Devon.
The local NHS is asking people to spend just five minutes of their time feeding back on their experience of maternity services and how it was for them and their family.
Rachel Sturley, clinical lead for local maternity services in Devon, said: “It’s really important that we plan and design maternity services around those who need to use it, and who could be better to ask than those who have had a baby recently, and those who have other recent experience they would like to comment on.
“Feedback from parents is invaluable and it’s vital that we learn from them. The information collected during this time will help shape services right across the county for now and in the future.
“We want to hear from as many people as possible. The easiest and quickest way to share your feedback is through an online survey, available here (or the full link is https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BetterBirthsinDevon) or join the Facebook page ‘Better Births in Devon’.”
People interested in taking part in small focus groups are also being invited to get in touch. If you are happy to discuss your experience in a little more detail, or share any ideas you have for improving maternity services in the future, and can spare two hours in June to be part of a group, please get in touch on d-ccg.betterbirthsindevon@nhs.net
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