Category > Inequalities

Evaluation of Black Maternity Matters: Senior Leadership (Cohorts 1 & 2)

Two anti-racist training courses for senior leaders running between March and August 2024 were evaluated. The largest change observed was in cultural awareness. The course helped participants with some of the leadership skills to address racism. Participants rated the course as highly useful and embarked on a wide range of anti-racist initiatives. 

Structured Medication Reviews in seldom-heard communities

PCNs in areas of high deprivation were invited to apply for central funding of up to £1,500 to deliver a quality improvement pilot project using the Health Innovation Network’s Structured Medication Review (SMR) patient resources to specifically target seldom-heard patient groups at risk of polypharmacy and not engaging regularly with their GP practice.

Report on the real-world evaluation of the Anya app

The evaluation of Anya assessed data from women using Anya, two NHS Trusts, LatchAid Ltd, and, NHS health visitors and midwives.

The report found high acceptance of Anya; increased breastfeeding rates; enhanced breastfeeding confidence; satisfied users; and staff were likely to recommend Anya.

Evaluation of the Black Maternity Matters Programme (Cohort 2)

This evaluation focuses on the second phase of Black Maternity Matters delivered in 2023, which aimed to build on this learning from the pilot. The six-month programme combined in-person anti-racist training, online book club sessions and QI support.  The evaluation found that by offering a personalised and psychologically safe training environment, Black Maternity Matters has taken staff on a learning journey unlike anything most had experienced previously.

Survey on preparing to implement a digital breastfeeding app, Anya

We worked with Gloucestershire Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) to support their implementation of Anya, a smartphone parenting and breastfeeding app to help support new mothers and hopefully increase breastfeeding rates in their local communities. As part of a real-world evaluation, a survey was conducted amongst NHS maternity staff to understand their views and surface any concerns in order to inform the rollout.

Evaluation Summary of the Black Maternity Matters Pilot

We evaluated the Black Maternity Matters pilot. The pilot demonstrated that anti-racist training has improved the knowledge and skills associated with cultural competency in midwives and maternity support workers. The evaluation showed that training participants had overestimated their cultural competency at the start of the programme but by the end, they had increased their understanding of how racism impacts health inequalities and they were able to transfer this knowledge to their work context.

Create Open Health: Voices for Change

More than 1 in 5 people in the UK are affected by bladder and bowel conditions. This can happen to anyone, although a number of groups are disproportionately affected.

In this project, we focused on under-represented groups and heard directly from them about the challenges of their lived experiences with bladder and bowel difficulties.