Andrea’s Diary

I have written a number of times about the Doula project run by the Goodwin Centre in Hull. They have recently been awarded for their efforts - this is an outstanding community based program and very worthy of this recognition. Here is an extract from the Press Release I received today:

Date: 8 July 2008

Doulas Delight at Parliamentary Awards

Goodwin Volunteer Doula Project and Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust and have been honoured with an award at the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Maternity (APPGM) summer reception. The awards acknowledged several maternity units’ inspiring work in improving local maternity services.

Based on four key themes, the Goodwin Volunteer Doula Project and Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust received their award for developing inclusive services for disadvantaged groups and communities.

‘Heather Barnes, Project Manager for The Goodwin Volunteer Doula Project said “The day was a great celebration for the volunteers and staff who have been involved in the development of this innovative project across Hull. The award recognizes the effort put in by all the volunteer doulas over the past three years, as well as the great team work across the city by all agencies, ensuring isolated pregnant women get the support they need throughout their pregnancy and birth”

Health Minister Ann Keen MP and Emily Thornberry MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Maternity (APPGM), presented the awards at the Atrium Restaurant, Millbank on Monday.

The APPGM, which is serviced by the NCT charity, highlights maternity issues within Parliament and brings together health professionals and service users with politicians.

The reception was attended by nearly 200 politicians, leading health professionals and user representatives from the maternity services across the UK.

Emily Thornberry MP, Chair of the APPGM, said; “It is a great privilege to present these awards to such deserving and exemplary maternity units. All the entries were very impressive. The winning units are doing innovative work which will act as an inspiration to other Trusts.”

Mary Newburn, Head of Policy Research at the NCT charity said, “We are celebrating the success of these awards as excellent examples of the good work that happens in local Trusts. ”

The Goodwin Volunteer Doula project, developed by Goodwin Development Trust, focuses on listening to the needs of local women from disadvantaged communities to ensure their needs are being met. This pioneering project recruits, trains and matches up volunteer Doulas with pregnant women who need support at what can be a lonely and difficult time. A Doula is a trained and experienced partner who accompanies a woman through pregnancy and childbirth and the first few weeks of family life. The volunteers are trained in child protection, domestic violence awareness, hospital tours, antenatal and postnatal roles, health and safety and breastfeeding.

There were a number of other midwifery projects that also received awards. They are all worthy recipients, and it is wonderful to be able to share these good news stories. I hope you find these inspiring.

Developing inclusive services for disadvantaged groups and communities:

Joint winners

Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust/Goodwin Volunteer Doula project which focuses on listening to the needs of local women from disadvantaged communities to ensure their needs are being met. The volunteers are trained in child protection, domestic violence awareness, hospital tours, antenatal and postnatal roles, health and safety and breastfeeding.

Ashford and St Peters Hospitals NHS Trust developed maternity services within HM Bronzefield Prison. This includes specialist midwifery care, obstetric ultrasound and high risk obstetric consultant care. Prior to this service, pregnant women within the prison received little or sporadic antenatal care and, in some case, none at all. Since the prison opened in 2004, the Head of Midwifery and the prison directors had regular meetings to discuss the care pathway for pregnant women in prison, and funding was finally obtained in April 2007.

Highly Commended

Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust for employing an ethnic health worker in an area where there is a high percentage of mothers from Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities; she is trained in breastfeeding support, smoking cessation and providing advice on co-sleeping, nutrition and welfare benefits.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust where the teenage pregnancy midwifery team has worked closely with young parents and other professionals and community groups to determine what is needed to provide a high standard of holistic care to pregnant teenagers, encompassing continuity of care and support.

The normality of childbirth

Winner

Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust - in particular New Cross Maternity for the range of measures to introduce and promote a new water birth service, with the aim of increasing normal birth. Over 85% of midwives have been trained and previous waterbirth parents now provide feedback to prospective parents who may want to use the birth pool. They have also provided specific sessions for teenagers and have organised interpreting services for women who wish to attend the preparation classes.

Highly Commended

Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust have developed a new midwifery module focussed on promoting and facilitating normal birth. It provides other midwives within the West Midlands the opportunity to address the rising trend in caesarean section rates and raise awareness and understanding on how to promote normal birth within their Trusts.

Responsive, woman-centred, family focussed postnatal care

Winner

Burton Hospitals NHS Trust for the bereavement support service aimed at ensuring those who have lost a baby are treated with sensitivity. An extensive training programme was developed to target all staff who came into contact with bereaved parents and special bereavement care suites have been developed, with ensuites and sleeping facilities for the partner, to ensure parents do not have to receive care in the labour ward.

Highly Commended

Pennine Acute NHS Trust for their production of a light-hearted book which challenges the myths of breastfeeding. ‘Saggy boobs’ aims to raise awareness of the facts about breastfeeding amongst the public and professional bodies.

Involvement of women in providing local maternity services

Winner

Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation NHS Trust who, despite grassroots opposition to a birth centre, saw the opening of the Huddersfield Birth Centre and Midwifery Led Unit. The key to its success was user involvement and ensuring the Trust listened to what women would value in a local facility through focus groups. A set of evidence based pathways were developed by the consultant midwife to build awareness and confidence in the birth centre concept for the public and local midwives.

Highly Commended

East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust for its women’s focus group. The group of user volunteers meet monthly to support their local maternity services and work in partnership with the maternity services staff to contribute to the service development within the maternity department.

Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust who were nominated for involving women and families in the improvement of maternity services in Petersfield by reopening the Grange Maternity Centre twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The Trust was particularly responsive to calls from local families and actively encouraged user involvement in the development of the Centre by asking users to sit on the Maternity Development Group