8/14/2019 Goodwin Doula Event July
1/2
Goodwin Vo lunteer Doula Service Workshop: Replication Across
the UK
The Goodwin Volunteer Doula Service is an innovative and proven
service which has been developed in Hullover the past 3 years. We
will be holding a workshop on Wednesday 1 st July, to inform key
decision makers in the health and social care arena regarding
funding we have been granted from the Department ofHealth. This
funding will support us to replicate our model of the highly
successful service across eightnew areas over the next three years.
The areas which replicate will need to provide match funding for
therunning of their local project.
The purpose of the project in Hull has been to train volunteers
to be doulas or birth partners for womenacross Hull who have little
or inadequate support through the later stages of pregnancy, birth
and for sixweeks postnatally. We feel that the unique selling
points of our service are:
Supporting vulnerable women through pregnancy and birth, dealing
with various issues, ie socialisolation, domestic abuse, language
and cultural barriers, drug and substance misuse,
homelessness,mental health issues and teenage pregnancy.
Lower intervention rates compared to local and national data.
Higher breastfeeding rates both at birth and six weeks
postnatally.
Volunteers recruited are moving into university training and
employment . Of the 64 volunteers wehave trained and supported to
date, 18 have gained places to study midwifery or adult nursing and
sixhave gained employment.
The six weeks postnatal support offered by the volunteers
ensures a strong early intervention andsignposting route for the
family.
Building stronger relationships between parents, midwifery
services and the voluntary sector . Wehave demonstrated that
stretched midwifery services can benefit from the involvement of
volunteerdoulas before, during and after the birth. Research
conducted by Hull University found that the womenbenefit from the
advocacy role of our volunteer doulas, empowering them to have
choice and controlover the birth process and outcomes.
The training course we offer the volunteers consists of 60 hours
of classroom learning and is currentlyaccredited to Levels 2 and 3
with the Open College Network.
So why replicate? As the Hull project has demonstrated there
have been huge benefits to both mums andfamilies, volunteers and
all other services and agencies supporting these women. We have had
muchinterest nationally around how we have successfully developed
the service, so why re-invent the wheel?Our service demonstrates a
clear fit with the National Service Framework, Maternity Matters
Policy,Every Child Matters, Healthy Lives, brighter futures, Our
health, Our care, Our say and Reaching Out: AnAction Plan on Social
Exclusion. It has been evaluated locally as making a positive
impact on local midwiferyservices supporting this group of
vulnerable women, and additionally helping to achieve better birth
andbreastfeeding outcomes. This has also been recognized as NHS
Hull has confirmed funding for the Hullproject through their World
Class Commissioning for the next five years, and Hull City Council
for the nexttwo years.
The workshop on the 1st July will be an opportunity to meet the
Goodwin Volunteer Doula Service team andsome of our volunteers, as
well as hearing from the local commissioners as to why they are
backing theproject in Hull. Key note speakers are, to date, The
Department of Health; Pauline Dumble, AssistantDirector of
Modernization, NHS Hull; and Peter McGurn, Chief Executive of
Goodwin Development Trust.It will be held at the Goodwin
Development Trust, Icehouse Road, Hull HU3 2HQ. Further to the
workshopwe will be wanting to progress to discussions with other
areas and commence replication.
