It works with midwives and other maternity and infant professionals to look at ways the services could be improved for people during pregnancy, birth and the post-natal period.
But in order for it to be most effective, Harrogate Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP) needs feedback from families who have used local maternity services.
Jen Baldry, who leads the committee of service users at the MVP, said that input from families is vital:
“Whatever someone’s experience has been, hearing about how they felt and what they think could be improved really helps to shape maternity services for others.
“Over the last couple of years, we’ve had really important feedback from parents about community midwifery, the delivery experience, post-natal care and lots more.
“We’ve also had very specific examples of things like mental health care, the special care baby unit, breastfeeding support, multiple pregnancies and complex deliveries.
“It all helps us to build a picture of how our maternity services are supporting local families, and where there might be room for improvement.
“As an independent group, we’ve been able to compile this feedback and take it to the hospital so they could take action to make vital changes that make the services even better.”
Based on feedback from parents, the MVP has been able to improve the use of language in information given to expectant parents, making it more relevant and accessible to all.
It has also worked to optimise the birthing environment in the hospital to make it more comfortable for people in labour, and to emphasise the importance of personalised care for everyone using maternity services.
The MVP still has many plans for further improvements to services using information collected from local families.
Harrogate MVP holds regular events where visitors can chat to other families, meet maternity professionals or speak to the group’s volunteers, who are all current or previous maternity service users.
Whatever your experience of maternity services, your feedback can provide vital information to those in a position to influence the way services are delivered in future.
You can look at the MVP’s social media pages for the latest coffee mornings and other meetings. Search for Harrogate Maternity Voices Partnership on Instagram, and look for its page on Facebook under the same name.
There is also a Facebook group for anyone who wants to be an active members of Harrogate MVP. If you’d like to contribute regularly, help at coffee mornings, carry out reviews of information given to parents, or support the MVP in any other way, this is the place for you.
Alternatively, if you can’t make it to the meet-ups or prefer to give feedback in a different way, contact Jen by emailing jennifer.baldry1@nhs.net.
Harrogate MVP is running its first community event this October and is keen for all families to come along.
As well as information on pregnancy and parenting, there will be stalls and fun activities for all ages. Little ones are very welcome at all MVP events, including this one.
Whether you have feedback to give or just want to meet other parents through the MVP’s supportive community network, this is the event for you.
It takes place at the Quaker Friends Meeting House on Queen Parade, Harrogate, on Sunday, October 29 from 2pm to 4pm.
It’s free to attend, and you can let the organisers know you’re planning to be there via this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bumps-and-babes-tickets-694151374447
