Maternity Voices Partnerships Toolkit

This 2022 toolkit provides a summary of guidance and practice to support you with setting up, developing and maintaining an MVP. 

It was developed prior to the  Three year Delivery Plan for Maternity and Neonatal services and the  Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships Guidance,  published by NHS England in 2023.  Some terminology and aspects of those policy documents are therefore not reflected in the Toolkit e.g. reference to MVP chair rather than MNVP lead. (For NMV notes on developments in the 2023 MNVP guidance, please see newsletter 11)

However, the core principle of staff and service users working in partnership to review and improve services is unchanged. The toolkit provides practical approaches to consider when developing an MNVP and you may still find the content relevant and useful.

You can read the Toolkit online here, including the linked resources and documents. Alternatively, you can download the Toolkit in PDF format (573kb).

• 1. Introduction

  • 1.1 What is a Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP)?

  • 1.2 How to use this Toolkit

  • 1.3 Equity

  • 1.4 Clarification of terms used in this document

• 2. Setting up your MVP

  • 2.1 Agreeing who will be responsible for setting up and maintaining your Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP)

  • 2.2 Determining the geographical footprint of the Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP)

  • 2.3 Deciding how the Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP) support function will be delivered

  • 2.4 Providing a budget for the Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP)

  • 2.5 Determining the mechanism for paying remuneration and expenses to service users

  • 2.6 Inviting staff and service user members

  • 2.7 Appointing a service user leadership team (e.g. Chair/co-chairs and Vice-chair)

• 3. Getting established

  • 3.1 Holding your first meeting

  • 3.2 Introductory information for members

  • 3.3 IT support for the service user leadership team (e.g. Chair and Vice-chair)

  • 3.4 Induction for the service user leadership team (e.g. Chair and Vice-chair)

  • 3.5 Making Local Maternity System (LMS), regional and national connections

  • 3.6 Training and mentoring for Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP) members

  • 3.7 Partnership working

  • 3.8 Social media accounts

  • 3.9 Developing an initial workplan

  • 3.10 Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP) meetings

  • 3.11 Handling enquiries

  • 3.12 Service user representation at key meetings and forums

  • 3.13 Identifying priority issues

  • 3.14 Building trust

• 4. Consolidating

  • 4.1 Strengthening and sustaining your team

  • 4.2 Developing your meeting format

  • 4.3 Annual workplan

  • 4.4 Feedback

  • 4.5 Reviewing services

  • 4.6 Coproduction

  • 4.7 Representation

  • 4.8 Input to strategic decision-making

  • 4.9 Safety

  • 4.10 Choice & personalisation

  • 4.11 Equity

  • 4.12 Neonatal

  • 4.13 Perinatal mental health

  • 4.14 Working at provider-level

  • 4.15 Working with the Local Maternity System (LMS)

  • 4.16 Regional involvement

  • 4.17 National involvement

  • 4.18 Communication

  • 4.19 Governance

  • 4.20 Budget

• 5. Pioneering

  • 5.1 We said we did – helping to do the work

  • 5.2 Supporting research

  • 5.3 Diversity champion roles

  • 5.4 Neonatal voices

  • 5.5 Focusing on particular community groups

  • 5.6 Next steps for the service user leadership team (e.g. Chair and Vice-chair)

• Resources and documents

  • Contribute resources, examples or documents