Listening to women

Listening to women and families with compassion which supports safer care

Listening to women and their families, understanding, and then acting helps to provide compassionate care and improves maternity outcomes and experiences. It also improves safety and helps to address health inequalities.

Donna Ockenden’s report on Shrewsbury and Telford described where families raised concerns:

… but were brushed aside, ignored and not listened to.

Dr Bill Kirkup’s report on East Kent states that those who provided care:

… failed to listen to the families involved, and acted in ways which made the experience of families unacceptably and distressingly poor.

Personalised care

Personalised care means women have choice and control over how their care is planned and delivered. It is based on evidence, what matters to them, and their individual risk factors and needs. While many women and babies experience excellent personalised care, it is clear from the independent reports that not all do.

We know that most mothers and babies in the North East and North Cumbria have a healthy pregnancy and birth. However, mothers and babies from more deprived backgrounds and from some ethnic minorities are more likely to be unwell and although rare, to experience serious complications during pregnancy and birth.

Our maternity and neonatal services need to respond to each person’s unique health and social situation. This support needs to increase as health inequalities increase so that we provide care that is safe and personal for all.

We co-produce our work with the ten Maternity Voices Partnerships (MVP), three service user reps and patient and public voice representatives. We work as an equal partnership to develop services and identify what needs to be improved.