Call for community researchers to shape maternity services

Women across Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton are being given an opportunity to train as local researchers to help shape maternity and local public health services across their communities.

Black Country Local Maternity System (LMS) wants local women and their families to gather the thoughts and experiences on a range of issues connected to healthy pregnancy and birth.

This research will focus on Pregnancy Care Plans, birth choices and birth experiences.

Harpreet Sohal, Senior Health Improvement Practitioner with Dudley Council, said: “The purpose of this project is to skill up local women who use maternity and local public health services so that they can work with us to capture the thoughts and experiences of other women.

“It is important that we find out more regarding the choices of birth women have been offered and to identify how they feel about the development of their personalised care plan for the pregnancy and delivery of their baby. Their feedback is invaluable to Black Country Local Maternity System as it will inform and shape the future direction of services

“We also want to ensure we offer women an ongoing communication channel that they can regularly use to share their views.”

Harpreet added that community researchers would be paid for their time and either childcare vouchers or crèche facilities would also be provided.

Interested in taking part? Email cypteam@dudley.gov.uk, call 01384 813025 or text Dawn Hart on 07930757220.

Community researchers will be trained to:

• Develop questions and approaches that are relevant and shaped by local women
• Capture women’s thoughts and experience about the choices of birth they are being offered
• Capture women’s thoughts about the development of their personalised care plan for the pregnancy and delivery of the baby
• Identify (and/or implement) a mechanism in place to capture women’s views for LMS on an ongoing basis