A review of women’s experiences in Brent

Healthwatch Brent conducted a survey gathering 77 mothers’ views about their experience of maternity services between August and November 2017. This research was carried out following Healthwatch England’s national focus on maternity care, to learn about women’s experiences of maternity services at local level.

The report highlighted that 37% of mothers were not given an option as to where to give birth, while 51% said that they did not have a named midwife. More than 60% rated the breastfeeding advice as excellent or good, and 23% rated the emotional support they received as poor or very poor. Mothers had mixed experiences of midwives. 43% of mothers had waited for a long time for antenatal appointments, while 22% would like to see more midwives and hospital staff.

The report made the following recommendations:

A. For commissioners

• To consider commissioning services which incorporate increased support for breastfeeding post-natal care, and signposting to community services.

• To ensure that community support is an integral part of the post-natal support and defined within the service specification, for example, breastfeeding support, home visits, information and advice after the birth.

B. For providers

• To ensure expectant mothers are aware of their named team of midwives, and to provide them with specific contact detail.

• To ensure that mothers are aware of the birth location options available to them, and are able to make an informed choice about where to give birth.

• To ensure that midwives are consistently more prepared to support mothers at various stages, and are more enabled to be more personable, empathetic, and compassionate, by reviewing the supervision, training, and development for midwives.

• To review the waiting time for queuing at antenatal appointments at Northwick Park.

• To consider working with community peer volunteers to provide breastfeeding support, and information after the birth.

• To consider working with volunteers to ensure that food is consistently offered after the birth.

• To consider allowing extended visiting time for partners to stay with mothers.

London North West NHS Trust responded that since the report they made the following improvements:

• The maternity department has become a partner in the Early Adopters Programme to look into continuity of care models, which will address the concerns raised in the report. The trust will pilot a continuity care model which will ensure that each mother has a close working relationship with a small group of midwives.

• The trust was disappointed to read that 23% of mothers surveyed rated emotional care as poor, and 13% described staff as rude. A new Divisional Lead for Women’s Services was appointed in December 2015. He has worked with front line staff to redesign the structure to give clear lines of reporting for all staff. This aims to provide specialist roles to support mothers and to improve their experience and to free up midwives to allow them to offer first class care.

• The antenatal service clinic provision has been remodelled and the waiting area and patient flow is managed accordingly around distinct pathways.

• All community midwives are co-located in community clinics to ensure that new mothers can meet with them easily.

• Visiting hours have now been extended and partners are welcome from 9 am to 9 pm.