Category > Maternity

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. 

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.

PReCePT study – BJOG

The success of PReCePT, a programme to increase the use of magnesium sulphate to prevent cerebral palsy in premature babies, has been highlighted in a new paper published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The researchers found that in the year before the study started, 68% of eligible mothers in the control group and 64% of mothers in the enhanced support group received magnesium sulphate. After the study, this had gone up to 84% and 85% respectively.

PReCePT study – Archives of Disease in Childhood

The results of the PReCePT study were published in Archives of Disease in Childhood. The study, compared uptake of magnesium sulphate in 137 maternity units under a national programme to prevent cerebral palsy in pre-term labour. 

The researchers found that following the intervention, update of magnesium sulphate was 6.3% higher in maternity units. They concluded that this was a cost-effective intervention. 

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.

Perinatal excellence to reduce injury in preterm birth (PERIPrem) through quality improvement

An evaluation, conducted independently by the South West AHSN indicates how the PERIPrem bundle and QI approach has increased the uptake of these 11 interventions in 12 NHS Trusts across the South West, as well as improved perinatal team culture. By the end of the evaluation period, 26% more mothers and babies born prematurely in the South West received the care interventions they were eligible for, compared to before PERIPrem started.