Healthy Pregnancy Project in Somerset

Somerset MNVP worked with the Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) Public Health Midwife to develop communication materials for their Healthy Pregnancy Project to and guide their engagement work with service users.

Much of the LMNS work is around prevention, closely linked to the Maternity Transformation Programme and the NHS Long Term Plan. By working collaboratively with the LMNS we make sure that service users are placed at the heart of their work.

Somerset MNVP coproduced communication materials for the LMNS Smoking in Pregnancy campaign. They also worked with the LMNS to gather feedback from service users to better understand why women and families don’t engage with smoking cessation services and how to make these service more accessible.

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Improving support for Black, Asian and minority ethnic families in Somerset

In June 2020, NHS England asked local maternity systems to improve communications and provide better support for our Black, Asian and minority ethnic families.

The Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) were asked to coproduce and implement an operational policy with their MVP and to reach out to Black, Asian and minority ethnic families with tailored coproduced communications. You can read the full report here:

Communications toolkit for local maternity teams to improve communications with Black, Asian and minority ethnic women

Somerset MNVP coproduced the operational policy and created leaflets with the LMNS. It was important that that the information was friendly, easy to read and had specific information about care and where to go for help. The leaflets were translated into 20 different languages and given to all Black, Asian and other ethnic minority women being looked after in Somerset and shared widely within our networks.

Maternal mental health services in Somerset

Somerset MNVP recruited eight volunteer service user representatives, with diverse experiences, to support and coproduce the new Somerset Maternal Mental Health Service (MMHS).

The volunteers were involved with design and implementation of the service from day one. They participated in working groups and focus groups; reviewed forms and literature; sat on the interview panel for each of the MMHS roles (peer supporters, administration, psychologist and midwife); and they will continue to support Somerset MVP to review and evaluate the service as it gets up and running.

“I hoped that I would be able to put our experiences and feedback to use, by sharing them to effect different pathways of care and experiences for others. Working with the MVP has been a fantastic experience. I feel that through the MVP, service user voices are well heard by the NHS and Public Health – it feels that the feedback is valued rather than being tokenistic.” Janet, service user

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Celebrating a year of coproduction in Somerset

During 2020-2021, Somerset MVP represented maternity service users and worked with maternity care providers and decision makers to design, develop, and improve maternity care at a local, regional, and national level. They made sure that services understand people’s needs and use their expertise to develop innovative and effective solutions.

Somerset MVP and its volunteers worked with NHS partners on a broad range of coproduction projects over the year, including:

• Design and implementation of a new Somerset Maternal Mental Health Service (working with Somerset CCG and Maternal Mental Health Teams).
• Design and production of Somerset’s pregnancy and baby loss personalised care plan to improve the quality and consistency of bereavement care (working with Somerset NHS Hospital Trusts).
• Improving communications and support for Black, Asian and minority ethnic families, through production of an operational policy and the creation of leaflets that were translated into 20 different languages to be given to all Black, Asian and other ethnic minority women being looked after in Somerset (working with the Somerset Local Maternity and Neonatal System).
• Development of communications materials to support Somerset Public Health’s Healthy Pregnancy Project and guiding their work with service users (working with the LMNS Public Health Midwife).

In addition, the Chair of Somerset MVP, Donna Butland, sat alongside maternity service professionals on over 50 strategic planning, decision-making and project groups, making sure the voices of maternity service users are heard and acted on at the highest level.

Somerset’s maternity services improved by listening to local families

Pictured: The Dad’s Breakfast Club launch at the Nurture Shed in Middlezoy

During 2019-2020, 900 people shared their experiences of maternity care with the Somerset MVP. In its first annual report, Somerset MVP highlights how they have worked with local families and care providers to improve the quality of maternity services in the county.

The MVP, which began work in 2019, is an independent forum for people to share their experiences with maternity services in Somerset. They work with a wide range of NHS and voluntary sector organisations which provide maternity care and support, making sure that public feedback is used to help develop and improve local maternity services.

The MVP annual report outlines several significant changes that have been introduced to make maternity care better in Somerset, demonstrating the enormous value of listening to public feedback.

• Greater inclusion and support for partners: The MVP worked with Somerset NHS Clinical Commissioning Group to introduce the ‘DadPad’, providing information and support to help new fathers or partners develop the confidence and skills they need to care for their baby. The MVP also launched a Dad’s Breakfast Club, giving men a place to go for support and to socialise with other fathers.
• Better antenatal education: The MVP used public feedback to help Somerset’s Hospital Trusts and Public Health to develop and improve antenatal support in Somerset. This included the introduction of new antenatal classes in Taunton and South Somerset, and the launch of a new digital maternity toolkit across Somerset to support people through pregnancy, birth and postnatal care.
• More personalised maternity care and continuity of care: Through their work with the Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS), the MVP shared powerful real-life stories to help maternity care commissioners and providers understand how to provide better personalised care and continuity of care.
• Improving quality and safety in maternity care: Through their work with the South West Maternity and Neonatal project, the MVP presented people’s real-life experiences of postpartum haemorrhage to inform quality and safety improvements in postnatal care.
• Information and support during COVID-19: As pregnant people became anxious about the virus and the impact on their care options, the MVP was a vital link between those needing and providing maternity care. They provided valuable information and support including virtual sessions for expectant mothers. They also helped services understand and respond to people’s concerns, for example, by introducing a dedicated maternity phone line and reinstating the option of face-to-face appointments.
• Online survey about maternity care: Over 100 people completed the MVP’s online survey about their maternity care experiences during COVID-19 (April to November 2020). The detailed survey results have been shared with those who provide maternity services in Somerset to inform future developments in maternity care.