Wirral Maternity and Neonatal Voices

Your voice is shaping maternity and neonatal care on the Wirral

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At Wirral MNVP, we listen to the experiences of women, birthing people, and families to help improve local services.

Through surveys, engagement work, and in-depth projects like our Trisomy 21 Family Voices report , we gather real experiences and work with services to make meaningful change.

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💬 You said: Communication could feel inconsistent or unclear

We did:
We shared this feedback with maternity and neonatal teams, highlighting the importance of clear, compassionate, and consistent communication. This has supported ongoing work around improving how information is explained, particularly during key moments such as induction discussions, postnatal care, and diagnosis.

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💬 You said: You wanted more compassionate, person-centred care

We did:
We amplified the importance of compassionate care as a standard, not something dependent on individual staff. Feedback has contributed to discussions around training, staff awareness, and embedding trauma-informed approaches across services.

👉 Families told us that small acts of kindness had a lasting impact, while poor communication could cause distress

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💬 You said: Experiences on the postnatal ward were mixed

We did:
We fed back themes around:

• Delays in support (e.g. pain relief and responding to call buzzers)

• Inconsistent communication between staff

• Ward environment and privacy concerns

This feedback is now informing service improvements and quality discussions within the Trust.

👉 Some families reported excellent care, while others experienced delays and inconsistent support

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💬 You said: Feeding support varied and could feel inconsistent

We did:
We highlighted the need for:

• More consistent feeding advice

• Better post-discharge support

• Clearer information on where to get help

This has supported ongoing work to strengthen infant feeding support pathways.

👉 Many parents valued support in hospital but reported variation after discharge

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💬 You said: Diagnosis and sensitive conversations need to be handled better

We did:
Through targeted engagement work, including our Trisomy 21 Family Voices project, we identified the need for:

• More compassionate and sensitive delivery of diagnoses

• Better emotional support for families

• More consistent, trauma-informed care

These findings are being used to influence training, policy, and service development.

👉 Parents described how the way information was delivered had a lasting emotional impact

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💬 You said: Neonatal care was positive, but environment and consistency could improve

We did:
We shared feedback on:

• The importance of clear communication and continuity

• Environmental challenges such as space and privacy

• The need for support for all parents, including partners

This is contributing to ongoing service improvement conversations.

👉 Neonatal care was rated positively overall, but improvements were identified in communication and environment

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💬 You said: You wanted more opportunities to be heard

We did:
We continue to expand how families can share their experiences through:

• Surveys

• Engagement events

• Targeted projects

• Community partnerships

💜 Your voice matters

Every piece of feedback helps shape safer, more compassionate maternity and neonatal care.

If you would like to share your experience, we’d love to hear from you.