Walking in their shoes: women and families' experiences of maternity services across Wakefield District and North Kirklees

Healthwatch Wakefield feedback gathered during a 15 Steps hospital visit to Pinderfields Hospital on 1 July 2025, with a focus on maternity experiences across pregnancy, intrapartum, and postnatal care. 

Overall, women shared a wide range of experiences, with clear examples of compassionate, person-centred care, particularly when midwives and clinicians communicated clearly, showed cultural sensitivity, and built trusting relationships. 

However, there were also areas where care fell short. These included inconsistent access to early antenatal care, fragmented communication, delays in pain relief, and inadequate language support. Some women experienced distressing or unsafe moments, especially where procedures were not well explained or where assumptions were made about experience, language, culture, or family roles. 

Digital tools such as the Badger Notes app were helpful for some, but not universally accessible or reliable. Interpretation services were not always available, and some women were left to navigate complex appointments and medical decisions without appropriate support. 

Across all three stages of maternity care, women emphasised the value of kindness, clear communication, continuity, and feeling seen as individuals: when these things happened, women felt much more positively about their experience, regardless, for example, of their mode of birth.