Presentation by Sandra Smith, Nursing Directorate, NHS England at Maternity and Neonatal Learning System: patient and public involvement in improving maternity services event on Wednesday 5 June at Haydock Park Racecourse.

1. NHS England and NHS Improvement
Sandra Smith, Maternity Transformation Programme
Vanguard lead
The role of NHSE as a key policy actor…
Maternity Transformation and
Service User Voice at NHS
England/Improvement

2. Maternity Transformation Programme

3. NHS England recommends Maternity Voice Partnerships;
A way of implementing Better Births
with women and their families at the heart.
CHAPTER 4: Co-production with women & families
- Local Maternity System (LMS) to include providers,
commissioners AND service users
- An MVP chairs should be a user rep - they have good
knowledge of local women’s feedback and can be
representative, (not sharing own personal stories)
- MVPs can facilitate co-production with women and their
families
“effective service user co-production. We recommend
establishment of independent formal multidisciplinary
committees, which we call “Maternity Voices Partnerships”
(formerly MSLCs), to influence and share in local decision-
making.”
Guidance for the system

4. How will we know Better Births is
implemented?
“I get cared for by a known
and trusted midwife.”
“I receive care that keeps me
and my baby safe.”
“I choose where, how and
with whom I will birth.”
“I need to know you are safe, you have slept, you feel valued, you have eaten, you have debriefed, you are confident and
competent, you are part of a supportive team, you know and trust your colleagues and they know and trust you, you
know the evidence, you help me understand my options, you respect my decisions. I need to know you care about me.”

5. Hearing the perspectives of those having babies and their
supporters is critical to the NHS providing care which
enhances the experience of pregnancy, birth and the
postnatal period.
Service User Voice = unless we hear the voices
of people who use maternity services, we have a
piece of the puzzle missing, and we must listen
well to the voices we don’t easily hear.
Service User Voice… why listen?

6. Whose voices are we particularly keen
to hear?

7. • User representatives throughout Better Births
• Maternity Transformation Board representation
• Stakeholder council representation
• Early Adopter selection panel
• All EA sites co produced project’s with user representation
• National Maternity Survey run by Care Quality Commission (CQC) –
women who birthed in Feb/number of exclusions
• NHS Friends and Family Test – under review
• Compliments and complaints / PALS
• Maternity Bereavement Experience Measure
• Maternity Voices Partnerships gathering local feedback
• User representatives on Local Maternity System Boards
• User Representatives on regional Maternity Transformation boards
• User Representatives on Maternity Transformation Programme
workstreams
• Co chair of WS2
How the voices of people who use maternity
services are heard…

8. The Maternity
Bereavement Experience
Measure (MBEM)
Listening to the voices of bereaved parents
and acting upon what they say…

9. Listening to the voices of people who use
maternity services about the environment…

10. Working in partnership with people having
babies… before, during and after birth.