The new NHS North Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is seeking views from local women about the kind of care they are looking for when they use maternity services.
As the new commissioners of healthcare for people living in North Tyneside, the CCG has engaged an independent research company, called Explain Research, who over the next few weeks will be out and about in busy locations across the borough talking to more than 1,000 women of child bearing age.
The aim is to find out what is important to women in terms of the healthcare they receive at all stages of their pregnancy, including antenatal care, labour and delivery and following the birth of the baby.
Dr Ruth Evans, clinical director of NHS North Tyneside CCG, said: “We hope this research will provide a much better understanding of the wishes of local women throughout their pregnancy and following delivery. It will also provide a better understanding of the model of care women want when they deliver the baby.”
The information will help when the CCG is developing future commissioning plans for maternity services.
She added: “We are committed to engaging local people in the development of all of the services that we commission. While we already have a lot of information about maternity services from previous exercises involving talking to local women, the research over the next few weeks will provide much more detail.
“The researchers will be targeting women of childbearing age, as those most likely to have had recent experience of maternity care or who may be planning to use maternity services in the future. We would be very grateful if women are approached by a researcher that they take a few minutes to answer some questions.”
All responses will remain confidential.