Mums can make their voices heard

NEW mothers and their families can have their say at a new Maternity Listening and Action Group at the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

The new group aims to provide regular feedback from the local population, ensuring safe, responsive and family-centred maternity services at the Trust’s four hospitals — The Royal Oldham, North Manchester General, Fairfield General, in Bury, and Rochdale Infirmary — and community services.

It is made up of representatives from the local community, maternity healthcare professionals, doctors, midwives, peer support workers and new mothers and fathers.

Any woman who is using or has used maternity services recently is invited to attend the meetings, as are fathers and other family members, including young babies and children.

Experiences

The first meeting, which took place in Heywood on October 14, discussed stories and experiences of the women and families who had recently used maternity services, welcomed new ideas and heard about areas in which the trust could improve.

Natalie Finn (30), a full-time mother from Saddleworth who attended the first meeting, said: “I feel the Maternity Listening and Action Group is a great forum as its focus is on women, families and their experiences.

”With this focus as a foundation I believe the group will be able to capitalise on the many positive aspects of care already provided within the trust.

“It will ensure that everybody receives the same level of care across the board and will identify and improve areas of potential weakness.

“The new name of the group encompasses everything that it hopes to achieve; it is actively engaging with people like me for feedback to make maternity care within the Trust the best it can possibly be for all the women and families that use it.”

The group will meet bi-monthly with the next meeting due to take place in December at a venue yet to be confirmed.

It is expected that most meetings will take place in children’s centres in the community areas covered by the trust.

Cathy Trinick, head of midwifery at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “This was one of the most rewarding meetings, bringing together new families and representation from the wider community with maternity professionals, all with one aim — to improve maternity care for women and babies.”