Issue - meetings

To receive an update on the Maternity Care Strategy.

The attached briefing provides an oversight of the new co-created Maternity Transformation Plan.

The Committee heard an update on the Maternity Care Strategy which was in response to the Better Birth Recommendations and the NHS Five Year Forward View to ensure all women had a positive maternity experience. Officer’s outlined the key priorities of the new Strategy which were:

·         Women and their chosen support networks will be partners in care

·         Maternity services and organisational partners within the LMS will work collaboratively

·         Safety will be enhanced through assisting all women to experience the best birth possible for their personal circumstance

·         Women, partners and their families will be supported and enabled to optimise their health in preparation for pregnancy, birth and parenthood.

Attention was drawn to a proposed action plan which would be able to implement the vision for maternity services and meet these core priorities. The team currently had funding to recruit a Project Midwife to drive the plan forward as it was acknowledged the current team would have difficultly to progress the changes on top of their day job.

In response to questions, it was confirmed over 800 survey responses from women had been factored into this strategy which was very much tailored to the needs of the customer. It was acknowledged that whilst most survey responses (80-90%) indicated women had a positive maternity experience, there was still room for improvement. The Committee was reassured that vulnerable families would also be considered in the new plan, for instance joint-working to support military families.

The Committee expressed support for the Maternity Care Strategy and was pleased to hear funding was available to support it, however cautioned the team to work to a realistic timeframe and that resources would need to be in place to support the new Strategy. The Chairman invited the midwives to report back on key milestones achieved at a future meeting.

Resolved:

To note the Maternity Transformation Plan Briefing and to commend this approach to collaborative working.

To invite officers and midwives to provide a further update at a future meeting upon the completion of public consultation and key milestones.