IMPORTANT PLEASE READ
Sheffield Maternity Forum are currently campaigning to ensure all women in Sheffield have access to community caseload midwifery.
There are currently two teams of midwives running in Sheffield who provide caseload midwifery otherwise known as ’one to one’ care to women - that is support from the same midwife throughout pregnancy, birth, and the post-natal period. These two teams run in Crookes and Sharrow and are available only to women who live in these areas.
The gold standard of care the ‘one to one’ teams in Crookes and Sharrow offer far exceeds all the requirements the government says it wants to offer to women. The need for a woman to have her own midwife remains paramount, and must be a priority for Sheffield Primary Care Trust (PCT).
Extending the ’one to one’ teams across the city is the answer on a plate. It is efficient as it channels precious NHS money directly into client care and enables the midwife to be available as and when the woman needs her.
In the current model of care midwives staff the hospital round the clock, the Jessop Wing is sometimes quiet and sometimes busy, so rarely does the supply match the demand or provide any continuity – what a waste.
There are midwives in Sheffield who want to provide ‘one to one’ care to women but they are being prevented from doing so. The new health and social care bill also contains a clause to allow PCT’s to contract independent midwifery services in. So there really are no excuse for not giving all women in Sheffield the same gold standard of care currently only being offered to the women who live in Crookes and Sharrow.
All we need to do is let the PCT know what kind of service we want and help make ‘one to one’ care for all women in Sheffield a reality. You can do this by writing a letter to the Chief Executive at the PCT or you can join our postcard campaign - for further details please email:
Email: enquiries[AT]sheffieldmaternityforum.org.uk (replace [AT] with @)