Maternity service user views of a community hub
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Maternity service user's views and preferences for the development of a community hub
IRAS ID
263930
Contact name
Vikki Smith
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Northumbria University at Newcastle
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 3 days
Research summary
The National Maternity Review (2016) recommended that providers of maternity services should give women the opportunity to access maternity care and other support services 'under one roof', in centres known as community hubs. The aim of introducing community hubs is to provide women and families with a number of services within the same location. Examples of services that could be included are antenatal and postnatal care, breastfeeding support and support to stop smoking.
There is no specific guidance around which services should be included in a community hub, rather that this should be tailored to the needs of the local population. A number of maternity units across England have opened community hubs although there is no evidence available yet to suggest whether the hubs include the services that women and families want to use and whether health outcomes improve as a result.
This questionnaire and focus group study is being funded by South Tyneside Foundation Trust (STFT). The proposed study aims to find out which services local women and families want to be included in a community hub that is located alongside a freestanding midwifery unit. Questions will explore preferences for specific services and to explore the factors that would affect their experience of using the community hub. The research data will be collected in two ways:
• Women who are currently accessing maternity services will be invited to complete an online questionnaire; this will be available in paper form if needed. The questionnaire will be advertised for over a two-week period.
• Women who are currently accessing maternity care at South Tyneside District Hospital will be invited to take part in a focus groups; it is proposed that there are up to 12 women in each focus group. The focus group will last around an hour.
REC name
London - Brent Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/0864
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jun 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion