Local maternity services
The NHS and partner organisations across Herefordshire and Worcestershire are working together to make the maternity experience better for mums-to-be and their families. The aim of Herefordshire and Worcestershire Local Maternity System (LMS) is to enable every child to have the best start in life and reduce health inequalities.
Those involved in the delivery of maternity care are doing this by turning the vision of Better Births (the national 5 year forward view for maternity services) into a reality – including continuously improving the safety and quality of maternity services, supporting mums-to-be to make healthy choices and ensuring their care plans are personal to them.
A number of improvements have already been made – including the development of antenatal hubs across the two counties (one-stop shops delivering support, information and advice to mums before their baby is born); the development of Continuity of Carer midwifery teams (who are ensuring that more mums-to-be see their named midwife, or a midwife from a small team, right through their pregnancy journey including birth); and the provision of smoking cessation support to pregnant women.
Improvements in the provision of perinatal mental health services also means that pregnant women who suffer mental health problems during pregnancy are now able to access support much quicker – with access to self-help groups within two weeks of referral, and treatment within six weeks.
The LMS also works closely with the two counties’ Maternity Voices Partnerships, which are groups of local mums and maternity staff, who play an active role in ensuring services are developed and delivered in line with local families’ needs.
Find out more
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