Maternity matters

Healthwatch Cumbria was commissioned by NHS Cumbria CCG and NHS North Lancashire CCG to undertake engagement with the public, mainly women of childbearing age and their significant others, to understand their views on maternity services. This project was undertaken as part of ongoing engagement with the public supporting the implementation of the RCOG maternity review. Healthwatch Cumbria worked in partnership with the Maternity Service Liaison Committees. During the conversation period of November 2015, the team received thousands of responses through a mixture of public engagements, online surveys and facilitated conversations.

The findings indicated that, overall, respondents had had mixed experiences with maternity services. There were several themes that became clear through the analysis of areas where respondents had experienced some dissatisfaction. These included ward overcrowding and lack of facilities, excessive travel, patients not listened to, and poor professional conduct. Respondents were given the opportunity to suggest improvements to maternity services. The top two suggestions were increases to staffing levels and keeping maternity services local.

The report did not include any recommendations from Healthwatch Cumbria. No responses from service providers were included in the report.