I am just scraping by the seat of my pants with life! So just quickly members of my Weight Watchers groups on a Monday night have lost over 8 stone between them in the last four weeks! Yikes, so very pleased with how that is all going but it is eating in to my time some what... have also been making space in my house by de-cluttering the baby stuff, so its final. I wont be a user of Lewisham's maternity services again!
So what of business I hear you cry! Well the last meeting in April got to grips with the following:
an over view of all the planned and current changes in the health services structures, the PCT is setting up a Business Support Unit to help GP's and the public health staff at the PCT will transfer over to the local authority in the summer (oh it is summer! in the next month or so). The 6 PCT's in SE London have formed a single management board called NHS SE London to support the transition until 2013 at the latest. The GP's consoritia will be concerned with commissioning all services including maternity. They will need to continue to follow national guidance.
We are hoping as a result of these new arrangements that a GP from the consortia will attend teh MSLC in future.
Service User Feedback
Gaela May and Caroline Leek continue to do regular walking the patch visits to Mat Ward 5, Women's experience in general is improving, but still concerns raised about support and kindness of staff working at night. Breastfeeding support also patchy if Jill or Felicia are not available.
Caroline - also attending Labour Ward forum and finds that a constructive way to feedback to a range of professionals involved in maternity services inside the hospital. There are concerns though with the willingness of senior staff on mat 5 to the walking the patch visits. Pauline Esson has agreed to take this up with relevant staff.
Pauline Esson also reported that 2 matrons are being appointed to provide hands on visible support on the labour ward and Mat 5.
Also agreed at meeting that breast feeding peer supporters should be invited into mat 5 on a regular basis to provide additional support to mums on breastfeeding. Pauline Esson will action this.
Exciting news . Stop Press. The MSLC has produced a leaflet setting out who we are and what we do and don't do.. mainly as something for the walking the patch people to give to families they speak with but also useful for anyone wanting to know what we do and don't do and how to get involved. I will post text here when finalised.
Monday, 13 June 2011
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
All change: update from 22nd Feb 2011 meeting
Well it is a bit late for a happy new year given it's nearly Easter but the last four months have flown by. I have returned to full time work after a 15 month maternity break so have been struggling to fit everything in...On the side I have also completed my training to be a weight watchers leader and will be starting a new group in May so have had a lot on my plate..... Please forgive me...
Our first meeting of the year was back in February at Ladywell Children's Centre we had fab attendance and three mum's coming as a first meeting to find out how we work and hopefully they found it informative and were able to feed in views... You know who you are so feel free to comment. I really hope this positive and plentiful engagement from local parents continues as it is what it is all about!
So what happened? I hear you cry! Key actions and update points are:
Service User Feedback: We had the survey results for a survey conducted in 2010 of Women who gave birth in February of 2010 - in some areas improvements had occurred but Trust continued to score low on confidence in staff during Labour and on users views of overall care in Labour and birth. Lewisham hospital highlighted this could have been affected by a high use of agency midwives during this period and since then new permanent midwives have been recruited and trained. The score on post-natal care was also poor and changes in staff and improved recording of post natal care should help improve perceptions. The survey will be repeated in May this year looking again at births in February 2011. The MSLC will look at the findings at its last meeting of the year.
Walking the Patch - (Is where on of the MSLC mum reps is an official volunteer at the hospital to conduct Walking the Patch visits) The visits are to the post natal ward (Mat 5) and are an informal and qualitative look at the care and support women are receiving. The walking the patcher will take notes and provide feedback to the ward manager and the MSLC. We have two walking the patch volunteers at the moment Caroline Leek and Gaela May and other reps are looking into completing the necessary steps. It is a useful way for the committee to get a on the ground feedback on women's experiences and use that to inform service delivery.
The key action here was to revise the script and ensure members know the process for becoming a walking the patch volunteer.
The MSLC is looking at hosting some facilitated sub-groups to engage women who are often hidden in user engagement activity and Pauline Cross the PCT's consultant midwife is working with one our mum reps and a contact at the hospital to take this forward.
Service user (mum reps) roles and responsibilities: The MSLC has a breast feeding sub group which needs some new reps on it, Daniela and Georgina will take this on and will update the next MSLC. Caroline and Gaela are walking the patch and Caroline is also attending Labour Ward Forum with Jessica and Daniela there as back up!!!
By the End of April we should also have our very own leaflet setting out who we are and what we do and don't do!!! Yay.
The next meeting is 26 April 2011.
Please do comment on the blog and those of you who make the committee what it is thank you and do add your thoughts..
Our first meeting of the year was back in February at Ladywell Children's Centre we had fab attendance and three mum's coming as a first meeting to find out how we work and hopefully they found it informative and were able to feed in views... You know who you are so feel free to comment. I really hope this positive and plentiful engagement from local parents continues as it is what it is all about!
So what happened? I hear you cry! Key actions and update points are:
Service User Feedback: We had the survey results for a survey conducted in 2010 of Women who gave birth in February of 2010 - in some areas improvements had occurred but Trust continued to score low on confidence in staff during Labour and on users views of overall care in Labour and birth. Lewisham hospital highlighted this could have been affected by a high use of agency midwives during this period and since then new permanent midwives have been recruited and trained. The score on post-natal care was also poor and changes in staff and improved recording of post natal care should help improve perceptions. The survey will be repeated in May this year looking again at births in February 2011. The MSLC will look at the findings at its last meeting of the year.
Walking the Patch - (Is where on of the MSLC mum reps is an official volunteer at the hospital to conduct Walking the Patch visits) The visits are to the post natal ward (Mat 5) and are an informal and qualitative look at the care and support women are receiving. The walking the patcher will take notes and provide feedback to the ward manager and the MSLC. We have two walking the patch volunteers at the moment Caroline Leek and Gaela May and other reps are looking into completing the necessary steps. It is a useful way for the committee to get a on the ground feedback on women's experiences and use that to inform service delivery.
The key action here was to revise the script and ensure members know the process for becoming a walking the patch volunteer.
The MSLC is looking at hosting some facilitated sub-groups to engage women who are often hidden in user engagement activity and Pauline Cross the PCT's consultant midwife is working with one our mum reps and a contact at the hospital to take this forward.
Service user (mum reps) roles and responsibilities: The MSLC has a breast feeding sub group which needs some new reps on it, Daniela and Georgina will take this on and will update the next MSLC. Caroline and Gaela are walking the patch and Caroline is also attending Labour Ward Forum with Jessica and Daniela there as back up!!!
By the End of April we should also have our very own leaflet setting out who we are and what we do and don't do!!! Yay.
The next meeting is 26 April 2011.
Please do comment on the blog and those of you who make the committee what it is thank you and do add your thoughts..
Friday, 10 December 2010
Snow Joke....he he he... jingle bells
Well this is likely to be my last post for 2010 and its a shame to say that the last meeting of the year was postponed due to my international gallivanting (California no less to visit dear beloved family) and then cancelled due to the SNOW...did you miss it? I do hope not...
So there is not a lot to report but I do have some bits and bobs:
At the last meeting there was some discussion about breast feeding and expressing support in the special care unit for babies at UHL.... I reported back the committee's concerns at the UHL Labour Ward forum meeting and the consultant for the ward kindly gave me a tour of the unit and discussed the plans for refurbishment which it dearly needs as provision for breast feeding and expressing is inadequate and very unpleasant. However, the plans and budget are yet to be approved. I would imagine in this age of austerity it is not a certainty that the Unit will get the face lift it really needs. One interesting comment from both the ward manager and consultant was that they used to have glider/rocking chairs for breast feeding but they had to be removed for infection control. They seem uncertain about being able to get chairs that will meet the requirements so if anyone reading this blog knows a way around this let me know... or maybe its a case of UHL's procurement peeps being more imaginative and creative! I am sure they must exist.
I would like to thank all of those who have been involved in the committee over the last year: especially those who make the meeting happen, those who attend, and those of you who check out the blog and feed in your comments and finally those of you committed to developing the midwifery services and practice in Lewisham to improve families birth experiences.
I hope to work with you all more during 2011.
Happy Christmas. x
So there is not a lot to report but I do have some bits and bobs:
At the last meeting there was some discussion about breast feeding and expressing support in the special care unit for babies at UHL.... I reported back the committee's concerns at the UHL Labour Ward forum meeting and the consultant for the ward kindly gave me a tour of the unit and discussed the plans for refurbishment which it dearly needs as provision for breast feeding and expressing is inadequate and very unpleasant. However, the plans and budget are yet to be approved. I would imagine in this age of austerity it is not a certainty that the Unit will get the face lift it really needs. One interesting comment from both the ward manager and consultant was that they used to have glider/rocking chairs for breast feeding but they had to be removed for infection control. They seem uncertain about being able to get chairs that will meet the requirements so if anyone reading this blog knows a way around this let me know... or maybe its a case of UHL's procurement peeps being more imaginative and creative! I am sure they must exist.
I would like to thank all of those who have been involved in the committee over the last year: especially those who make the meeting happen, those who attend, and those of you who check out the blog and feed in your comments and finally those of you committed to developing the midwifery services and practice in Lewisham to improve families birth experiences.
I hope to work with you all more during 2011.
Happy Christmas. x
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