Maternity voices partnerships (MVPs)

The aim of our maternity voices partnerships (MVPs) is to make sure we listen to and take onboard the views of women and families using our maternity services.

MVPs are a forum for maternity service users and providers to come together to design services that meet the needs of local women, parents and families.

Members include mums, dads, parents-to-be, grandparents, NHS doctors and midwives, and members of local community groups who provide their services and support to expectant and new parents and babies.

Meetings are held in a relaxed atmosphere to encourage people to discuss their experiences, which is invaluable in helping us to develop better maternity services.

For more information visit the national maternity voices partnership (MVP) website. You can also find details of our privacy policy on the national MVP website

Our work during the COVID-19 pandemic

Between August and September 2020, the collective Maternity Voices Partnerships for Morecambe Bay, Fylde Coast, Central and Pennine Lancashire designed and distributed a survey to capture the experiences of families who had been pregnant or given birth through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

More than 300 people responded to the survey and you can view the results in the final report.

Find out more about your local MVP below and how you can get involved.

Our Chair 2022/23: Kate Jones

Kate Jones, a mother-of-two from Windermere, is also a perinatal yoga teacher and has trained as a doula and in hypno-birthing. 

On taking over the role in summer 2021, she said that she wants to increase awareness of the MVP and grow engagement from service users and families.

“I first heard about the MVP when pregnant with my son during the pandemic. As a service user with a special interest in pregnancy and birth, I was concerned about how my choices - and those of my peers - were being affected by COVID-19 restrictions and wanted to know what I could do.

“I made contact with our wonderful former chair, Becky, and benefited from the support and advice she offered. I learned how my voice could really make a difference and was supported in a wonderful home birth, facilitated by the hard work and dedication of our local midwives.

“My passion for maternity work grows stronger by the day and I believe that the voice of a service user is invaluable in order to ensure our maternity services are, first and foremost, centred around birthing people.”

Get involved

If you have recently used maternity services or would like to contribute and be involved, whether that is in person or virtually then please contact Kate Jones by e-mail: baywideMVPchair@gmail.com. You can attend a meeting, sign up to our mailing list, or simply just provide your feedback.

You can also find us on Facebook at facebook.com/baywidemvp and Morecambe Bay Maternity Voices public group, on Twitter @BayVoices or on Instagram @baywideMVP.

Meetings and events

Typically, the MVP meets every two months. During the pandemic, face-to-face meetings were halted – the hope is we can start to resume in-person meetings as restrictions continue to be lifted.

Previously, we have held events in child friendly locations to encourage families to come along and give feedback. We are working hard to make sure that we reach people who may not have previously had the chance to have their say.
 

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For more information email fwccg.fyldecoastmvp@nhs.net

 

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For more information email mvpcentrallancs@gmail.com 

 

Central Lancashire vacancy:

Role Title: Lead, Central Lancashire Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership

Contract: 2 Years with an option of a third year (Can be volunteer with honorarium and expenses, or sessional worker)

Salary: Upto £15,600 – Travel expenses will be covered

Location: Hybrid (home working and travel across the Lancashire Teaching Hospital Trust footprint)

Time commitment: Up to 15 working hours per week pro-rata

Click here for more information and how to apply

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For more information anne.goodwin@healthwatchlancashire.co.uk

Better Births, the report of the national maternity review was published in February 2016 and set out a clear vision: for maternity services across England to become safer, more personalised, kinder, professional and more family friendly; where every woman has access to information to enable her to make decisions about her care; and where she and her baby can access support that is centred on their individual needs and circumstances.

It also calls for all staff to be supported to deliver care which is women centred, working in high performing teams, in organisations which are well led and in cultures which promote innovation, continuous learning, and break down organisational and professional boundaries. More information can be found on the NHS England website.

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