Doncaster and Bassetlaw Maternity Voices Partnerships (DBMVP) is a team of local families, midwives, health visitors and commissioners that work collectively to review and contribute to the development of local maternity care.
Previously, Doncaster and Bassetlaw MVPs were two separate forums however, they have now merged together to create one forum for families to be apart of if they have experienced maternity services in either area within the past 5 years. The meetings are held quarterly with the upcoming one due to be held on Thursday 17th March 2022 which you can access via this Microsoft Teams Link or alternatively be sent the link by emailing the team on dbmvpinvites@gmail.com. In this blog we would like to take the opportunity to share with you our next meeting agenda so you can gain more insight on what to expect from the meeting.
Birth in Mind Update
The Birth in Mind service is a pilot project across the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw region to integrate Trauma service into maternity care. It is a stepped care approach involving specialist midwives and psychologists to offer a service for women struggling with birth related trauma. The newly appointed specialist midwife for the Birth in Mind Service at Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Trust will be presenting more information to the group around the provision and will also be continuing to work closely with the MVP network.
Maternity Services Update
The Specialist Midwives for Bereavement Services from Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospital will be providing an introduction to their team and the support that they provide to families that have experienced the devastating loss of a pregnancy and/or baby. We would like to remind those affected by an incredibly sad loss of a pregnancy and/or baby to please remember that you are not alone and there is help and support available.
There will also be a further update around the Care Delivery Suites (CDS) renovations at Doncaster Women’s Hospital which are currently underway. The renovation is set to be completed by summer 2022 and the aim is to provide women in labour and their families a more interpersonal and comfortable place to give birth.
To conclude the maternity services update, the MVP Service User Voice Lead for South Yorkshire & Bassetlaw will be providing a position update on the plans to develop ‘maternity packs’ for the end of the beds on the wards. The packs are set to be across both Doncaster and Bassetlaw and will include information on local post-natal services available for families and how to access them. The MVP Service User Voice Lead will also be sharing an update around the role of the DBMVP chair that is soon to be published for advertisement now that the MVPs have merged, so if this is something you would be interested in applying for then keep your eyes peeled!
Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination in the Workplace Presentation
The final part of the agenda will be an informative presentation around Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination by a local mum who unfortunately had the experience of a prolonged episode of Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination in the workplace back in 2020. Nevertheless, this incredible individual decided to overcome this by becoming more aware, more knowledgeable, and more astute on this topic which has then inspired them to help others, by improving information and knowledge to expectant and new parents in order to help protect them from workplace discrimination whilst pregnant. The presentation will also demonstrate how the DBMVP can have a positive impact on this area and how we can move forward collectively to support local families who may be affected by this.
