Together We’re Better (the Integrated Care System ICS for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent) has launched a survey seeking the views of people who have recent experience of maternity services.
From Together We’re Better:
We need to make sure that the maternity services we are providing are meeting the needs of the local families that use them, so it is important we hear local people’s experiences.
We had to make changes at the beginning of the pandemic to help keep staff and families safe. Although restrictions are easing, we are still fighting this terrible virus and having to use our midwives differently to cope with higher levels of sickness and self-isolation.
Changes introduced last March included the temporary suspension of home births which were reinstated by the summer. Freestanding Midwife-led Birth Units for low-risk births at County Hospital in Stafford and Samuel Johnson Community Hospital in Lichfield were also temporarily closed so that staff could be concentrated at consultant-led maternity units. They remain closed now.
We are now exploring ways to reinstate these services, but know we will need to work differently. We are considering an on-demand proposal that means the Midwife Led Birth Units would be available 24/7 but not staffed permanently as before. Midwives would attend the unit when a birth is expected.
COVID-19 has also shown us how we can improve our services for families, and we want to learn from this as we build services for the long-term. Through this survey, we want to hear people’s views about potential ways of working for the future.
We want to hear from people who have given birth, and from anyone who has experience of the maternity services including partners, staff, and those providing support for maternity service users.
We also want to hear about experiences relating to childbirth and antenatal services.
The feedback we get from today’s event, the survey and other planned engagement will help us make the next steps towards providing the best maternity services we can and I would stress that no decisions have been made at this point.
The survey is online until midnight on Sunday August 8. If you need any support in accessing this survey, please phone 0333 150 2155.
For more information, including to read our short Issues Paper and to watch a video with our midwives, visit our website at https://www.twbstaffsandstoke.org.uk/get-involved/maternity-services-transformation
We would also welcome a conversation with you, if you would like further information.
Heather Johnstone
Senior Responsible Officer for the Maternity Transformation Programme