COVID-19 and Maternity Voices Partnerships role

During the coronavirus pandemic Maternity Voices Partnerships shifted their focus to support maternity services in:

  1. decision making around temporary service reconfiguration, and
  2. communicating those changes to women, birthing people and their families.

Where adequate funding was available, MVPs played a pivotal role supporting Trusts to address local women’s queries and concerns.

Co-production of NHS resources on coronavirus

Many Maternity Voices Partnership chairs and service user representatives helped NHS England and Improvement to co-produce information leaflets .

Communications with people using maternity services during COVID-19

MVP chairs and service user representatives have been helping by:

  • Sharing examples of good practice
  • Helping maternity services to understand what information women, birthing people and their families need and what their frequently asked questions are
  • Sharing national guidance with service users from official sources such as RCOG/RCM/NHSE&I
  • Co-producing information for people using maternity services in conjunction with Directors/Heads of Midwifery, consultant midwives and other midwifery leads.

Health and Social Care Select Committee call for evidence re Delivering Core NHS and Care Services during the Pandemic and Beyond

National Maternity Voices have submitted evidence to the Select Committee based on feedback we have received from across the country. It is clear that MVP lay chairs have been valuable as links into the community of expectant and new parents and independent critical friends of maternity services reviewing service changes and communications.  They have been most effective where a modest investment had been made in resourcing the MVP and good working relationships had been established.

Download the full evidence report sent to the Select Committee (PDF 76 kb)