As a maternity service user, we want your voice to be heard by those creating and providing local maternity services. Maternity and Neonatal Voice Partnerships are the groups set up to make sure this happens.
"The MNVP gathers feedback from women, birthing people and families who have recently used maternity services. No matter where you are on your maternity journey we want to hear about your experience."
- Jennifer Hamilton, East Kent MNVP Chair and Link Chair for Kent and Medway LMNS
Maternity Voices Partnerships are part of NHS England’s vision for the crucial role of Patient Participation. Defined by National Maternity Voices; “a Maternity and Neonatal Voice Partnership (MNVP) is an NHS working group: a team of women and their families, commissioners and providers (midwives and doctors) working together to review and contribute to the development of local maternity care. MNVPs bridge the gap between the health service and the families who use maternity services, to improve things for everyone involved. We have meetings every three months that you’re welcome to submit feedback for, attend or just see the meeting minutes.
MVP Chairs are independent contractors for the Integrated Care Board (ICB). That means we don’t work directly for the hospital or the trust and we are impartial, working as “critical friends” to the hospitals and Trusts.
We’re always keen to hear your feedback and - if you’d have some time to volunteer - please get in touch with us to find out how much (or how little) time you could contribute. Getting involved is sometimes as simple as sharing posts on social media to get the word out amongst local friends and family - or even a few minutes answering surveys!
It’s vital for healthcare services to work together with service users like you to help shape a care system that works for everyone. Maternity and Neonatal Voice Partnerships are a key part of that vision. We really want to hear your experiences - everything that went well and where there is room for improvement, too. We don’t take complaints (find your local hospital Patient Advice and Liaison Service for that) but we do take on constructive criticism; it’s important for us to know where things could have been better.
Find each of the Maternity and Neonatal Voice Partnerships on Facebook here:
