Birthplace choice preferences in Hull and East Yorkshire v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Fatima Allam Birth Centre: understanding women's preferences for midwifery-led birth centre care within Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
IRAS ID
246963
Contact name
Joanne Aspland
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Hull
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
The aim of this study is to explore the birthplace preferences of pregnant women who are eligible to book to the Fatima Allam Birth Centre at the Women and Children’s Hospital, Hull, which is a midwifery-led facility, sitting alongside the labour ward. We want to ask newly pregnant women in the Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire area about their knowledge, preferences, views and experiences of midwifery-led care. This will help us to better understand why women might make certain choices regarding midwifery-led care and then apply this knowledge to addressing women’s concerns. In turn, this may encourage more women to use the Birth Centre, and as birthing in this centre is more cost effective, it may make savings for the NHS.
Firstly, we are asking local pregnant women with ‘low risk' pregnancies who are eligible to birth in the Birth Centre to complete a short questionnaire on their knowledge and preferences on birth setting choices - this will be distributed by staff from the Women and Children's Hospital with the 'maternity pack' sent out by post to new referrals over a 2-month period. Women will also be approached with questionnaires at two carousel events for newly pregnant women. The questionnaire will also be available online. On completion of the questionnaire, women are also given the opportunity to volunteer to take part in focus groups to explore their responses in more detail. The focus group schedule will be loosely based on the questionnaire but updated to reflect any initial themes emerging from the questionnaire data.
A key longer-term aim – outside of the remit of this exploratory study - is to understand locally what factors help or hinder both women in the choices they make, and midwives/other health professionals in the promotion of differing maternity services.REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/WM/0299
Date of REC Opinion
3 Oct 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion