Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships
What is a Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership?
Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships (MNVP) are a team of women and their families, commissioners and providers, working together to review and contribute to the development of local maternity and neonatal care.
MNVPs serve the needs of local women and families, gathering feedback and advising Local Maternity and Neonatal Systems (LMNSs), expert clinical groups and those commissioning services from a service user perspective.
All women, partners and families can get involved with their MNVP by giving feedback or becoming service user representative.
Membership of an MNVP may include:
- Maternity service users and families (they must make up at least a third of the group)
- Clinical and managerial representation (midwives, obstetricians, neonatologists, managers and from finance)
- Charities and advocacy groups
- Commissioners
- Statutory partners, including Healthwatch
Find your nearest MNVP
Click on the map to find each MNVP’s contact details.
What do MNVPs do?
We have 10 MNVP groups who are all linked to a local hospital.
MNVPs work in partnership with their local hospitals to connect everyone involved in maternity and neonatal care.
They are a place for women’s voices to be represented and they work on a local level to help trusts provide the right services.
There is a particular focus on supporting women from black, ethnic and minority background, and people from deprived backgrounds. We know these groups are more likely to experience health inequalities and poorer outcomes. MNVPs take an active role in how the LMNS works with representation on all key decision-making groups.
The MNVPs help shape decision making and the way services are designed and developed. They can provide an avenue to act as a ‘critical friend’ and make sure that anything which impacts women and their families is considered.
Each MNVP produces an annual work plan which is aligned to their local needs.
