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Some of the members of the West Cheshire Maternity Network
The West Cheshire Maternity NetworkWe aim to ensure that we provide maternity care that is right for you and your family, from before your pregnancy right up until after the birth.
Our Shared VisionA family-friendly maternity service, that works in partnership with all relevant providers to create:
Safe - A safe service for you, your baby and your family Patient-focussed - No matter where you receive care, your views
are taken into account
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Partnership - No matter who provides your care, everyone is working to an agreed set of standards
Normal - Your experience of childbirth involves as little medical intervention as possible
Members of the West Cheshire Maternity Network include:
New parents Local GPs, midwives and health visitors Obstetricians Mental health clinicians Local council NHS Commissioning Managers who decide how the local health
budget should be spent
During the past two years the Network has gathered feedback from over 600 new parents in west Cheshire to ensure your personal experiences help shape local maternity services. By combining your feedback with national evidence and emerging policies, we have improved maternity services in west Cheshire.
You Said:
More choice of where to have your baby More information about your pregnancy, in an
easily accessible format More midwifery-led care A birthing environment, at the Countess of Chester Hospital, that
treats you as an individual with personal needs and wants and preferences.
We Did: In June 2015, we awarded a new contract to an alternative
provider of a midwifery-led model of care (One to One (North West) Limited), known as case loading. What this means in plain terms is that you build a relationship with a single, named midwife from the outset . Depending on your choices and circumstances, you may see the same person up to and including giving birth.
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One to One also offers free women hypnobirthing courses – a technique that teaches you how to relax, feel more in control and, work with your midwife and, manage the pain that is a natural part of childbirth
We support the Countess of Chester Hospital’s maternity team who recently started their own free hypnobirthing service too.
We are encouraging both providers to make use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook to promote the care they provide and trigger your feedback. We are working to enable the Countess of Chester Hospital to set up an interactive website where you can share information with the Hospital and they can answer your questions, in real time. One to One (North West) Limited already provide this via their Facebook page or on Twitter.
You can now ‘book’ directly with a midwife for your maternity care, and receive all your maternity care from a midwife in community- based settings such as a children’s centre and a GP surgery, if you have no significant medical needs. Whilst both services offer the option of visits at your home, One to One extend their offer to include evening visits too, after a normal working day has finished.
This includes the option of a home birth led by a midwife, supported by a second midwife at the point of labour, provided by either of our two providers .Both offer the choice of a home water birth too.
We have promoted shared-decision making, ensuring that, if you wish, you play an equal part in the decisions made about your pregnancy and birth. Women with potential medical needs can be referred by their midwife or GP to an obstetrician for an expert medical review. Midwives and doctors/obstetricians work closely together in west Cheshire enabling the woman to remain at the centre of the decision-making process throughout her pregnancy and childbirth.
Women with uncomplicated pregnancies can choose a home birth with any of the local providers of midwifery care.
In the event of complications developing during, or immediately after, labour at home, women are transferred to the nearest hospital for their delivery. This is a decision made jointly by a woman and her midwife. We recently invested in the Countess of Chester Hospital so they could improve their birthing unit. The Hospital now has two high-quality, refurbished suites that offer a more homely environment, reflecting that childbirth is a natural process.
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Recognising that whether this is their first baby, or they have given birth before, women are individuals with different previous experiences and expectations of childbirth. We are supporting the Countess of Chester Maternity team who have set up bespoke clinics to meet the needs of a variety of women. (These are called the Options, Vaginal Birth after caesarean section and Holistic Clinics). Our Network was named Regional Innovator of the Year 2014 for the North West as a result of our emphasis on pregnancy and childbirth being a natural process. The Countess of Chester Hospital also won a National Royal College of Midwives Award in 2014.
The west Cheshire maternity service is available to all pregnant women, regardless of need or risk who, live in west Cheshire and are registered with a west Cheshire GP.
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Having your baby in west CheshireOur main maternity service is provided by the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust which offers both midwifery and acute medical maternity care on one site. Alternatively, you can choose another provider known as One to One (NW) Limited, which offers a midwifery-led model of care. Nine out of 10 local women choose one of these two providers. However, depending where they live, they may choose somewhere else closer to home.
Choosing the best care for you:
Your care is likely to follow one of three pathways:
1.Midwifery– led Care:If you are at low risk of complications, a team of midwives will provide all of your antenatal care either at your home, your local GP surgery, children's centre or at your hospital. They will care for you during the birth and in the early post-natal period (after the birth).
2.Consultant– led care:
If a medical risk has been identified concerning your pregnancy, a consultant obstetrician will be involved.
Deciding where to birth your baby is an important decision and will be influenced by:-
What is important to you? Where you would feel safe and comfortable?
3. Shared careA combination of both of the above. Some women will require medical input only at certain points during their pregnancy and can still receive the majority of care by their midwife.
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It is important that you take some time to think about the choices offered to you. You might also want to discuss them with, your partner, family and friends.
Your choicesYou have choice in a number of areas. For example:• Where to have your baby - e.g. at home or in hospital
• Where you go for your antenatal classes - e.g. you will have more choice if you wish to travel.
These are just two of many choices you can make but do not worry. There is plenty of help available to support you and your family in making these decisions and choosing what feels right for you and your baby.
Feel free to gather as much information from as many sources as you wish. Your midwife will discuss the options that are available in your area. You are free to choose from a number of local maternity services, depending on your personal circumstances.
As well as your midwife, you can get information from:
The NHS Choices website, which has lots of information and toolkits here
Your GP surgery
Any of our Children's centres. For a list near you, see here
The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) for your nearest branch see http://www.nct.org.uk/branches
Our local providers of maternity care:
Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust http://www.coch.nhs.uk/all-services/midwifery-services
One to One (NW) Limited http://www.onetoonemidwives.org/
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust http://www.coch.nhs.uk/all-services/midwifery-services
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Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust http://www.mcht.nhs.uk/information-for-patients/departmentsandservices/maternity/
Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust http://www.whh.nhs.uk/ServiceCatInfo.asp?id=44
A Collaborative approach:
According to the National Five Year Forward Plan Report (2014), “only 25% of women want to give birth in an Obstetric Unit, but 85% actually do.”
Also, One to One (NW) Limited, our alternative provider of maternity care provides an option on their website (under the title ‘stories’) for you to understand the model of care they offer through real-life stories. You may view these at http://www.onetoonemidwives.org/stories
Your Ideas and Opinions Matter!We are looking more closely at how maternity services are organised across west Cheshire. We can only do this if we know how you felt about having a baby in this area.
During the next four months, up until March 2016, we will be out and about asking new parents about their experiences of having a baby in west Cheshire. We will also be dropping in on local baby cafes, inviting new mums to coffee mornings at the Children’s Centres and sending out feedback surveys.
Please let us know if you would like to share your experience with us, and make a real difference to shaping local maternity services.
You can:
Contact Debbie Smith, Patient Experience Officer or Sue Collis, Clinical Commissioning Manager via the following e-mail address: [email protected]
Contact us on Twitter@westcheshireccg
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Post a comment on Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/nhswesterncheshire
In addition, if you are a member of a group and would like us to come out and talk about what we do, please contact us.
National Maternity Review
The NHS Maternity Review is currently underway to make recommendations for the improvement of services for women and their families.
They are very keen to hear from women, fathers, partners, their families and advocates. All your comments and answers will be treated anonymously and the information provided will directly contribute to the review. Please use this link below to share your views, until 15th November 2015.
mailto:[email protected]
Who’s who in maternity care?
The Midwife
Midwives are specially trained and independent health professionals in their own right in the care of mothers and babies, before conception, during pregnancy, birth and just after. All midwives are required to be registered on a national database, held by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. They are trained to deliver babies and to recognise possible developing health problems. They will refer to a doctor for advice if necessary.
Midwifery assistants and maternity support workers
The midwifery support worker works with a midwife in providing care and support to you during pregnancy and labour. Their main role is
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supporting the midwife to provide the best care for you and your baby; this also includes updating your notes as well as breastfeeding support at home and general nursing type duties in the hospital.
General Practitioners (GPs)
Your GP has full responsibility for your general medical care outside hospital before, during and after pregnancy. Most GPs will share your maternity care with midwives or hospital doctors. Nowadays it is quite unusual to find a GP who attends births, however, some do. All GPs and doctors are required to be registered on a national database, held by the General Medical Council.
Obstetrician
An obstetrician is a doctor with specialist training in the care of women in pregnancy and labour. Obstetricians are also gynaecologists, who specialise in the care of women’s health problems through life as well as during pregnancy.
Paediatrician
A paediatrician is a doctor with special training in the care of babies and children. Not all babies born in hospital are seen by a paediatrician after birth. A baby may be assessed, examined and discharged by a midwife and not referred to the paediatric team. In some hospitals, advanced neonatal nurse practitioners work with the paediatric team. Paediatricians also oversee the care of babies on special care baby units.
Neonatologist
A neonatologist is a paediatrician with further specialist training in the care of newborn babies. In addition to providing support for babies on postnatal wards, neonatologists oversee the care of babies on intensive care units.
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Health Visitors
A health visitor is a nurse with additional specialist qualifications, enabled to care for people in the community and who considers the health of the whole family. They will also assess your baby’s feeding, health and development as well as your own. The health visitor will see you at home when your baby is around 10 to 14 days old to offer any support with any worries or problems.
Ends
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