M(ums)-Power: putting women at the centre of antenatal care

One in three women is insufficiently involved in decision-making during their pregnancy. In collaboration with partners including Mumsnet and UCL Partners, this project aims to tackle that problem. It will improve women’s experiences of maternity services by improving both the culture of services and the technology they employ.

This project is funded by the Health Foundation’s Closing the Gap programme, which focuses on the cultural gap between health services and citizens.  The aim in this case is to transform the dynamic between women who use maternity services and those who provide them. 

The project will work in partnership with women and professionals to understand and tackle the barriers to good experiences and outcomes.  It will collaboratively re-design the service ethos and some of the tools the service relies on. 

Technology will be an important element of the project.  In other walks of life, many people already use relationship management systems online and through their phones for updates about a product or service.  We want to use some of the same technology and insight to transform maternity services.  At the same time, we want to help the NHS to learn from Mumsnet – to put women’s voices, concerns and relationships at the heart of maternity services.