[U]niversity Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) is asking local people in Barrow and the surrounding areas to talk to them about why maternity, children and young people’s services matter to them, at a special event to be held in Barrow.
The free event, titled ‘Maternity, Children and Young People Matters in Morecambe Bay’, will take place from 1pm – 6pm on Tuesday 26 September 2017 at The Forum, 28 Duke Street, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 1HH.
The Trust is looking to talk to anyone that is, or has been, involved with maternity or children and young people’s services, such as mums-to-be, mums, dads, carers, people who support and care for babies and children, friends and families of people that have used the services, or those people that might use the services for the first time in the future.
This event is a chance for local people to talk to staff about their health, their experiences of the Trust’s maternity and children and young people’s services, and how they want to work with the Trust and be involved in the future.
Staff from all areas of the Trust will be on hand to talk about what they have been doing to further improve maternity and children and young people’s services, and asking for valuable feedback on any future plans or ideas to ensure that the Trust continues to offer services that the local communities want and need.
Sascha Wells, Director of Midwifery, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, UHMBT, said: “We believe that the only way we can truly make our services for families the best they can be is by listening to local people about what matters to them and what they want to see in the future.
“Over the last two years, we have held public engagement events specifically around our maternity services which were excellent and gave us real examples of where we have got things right for women and where we haven’t. Feedback like this is vital to allow us to continue to make changes that make a real difference to local people.
“This year, as well as hearing about experiences of our maternity services, we also wanted to talk to the public about their experiences of our children and young people’s services – what we do well and where we can improve.
“There are lots of opportunities for local people to get involved in our services and we want to hear from as many people as possible. We understand that people may want to get involved in different ways – some might want to just receive information whereas others might want to get personally involved, for example, sitting on staff interview panels, getting involved in training, proving feedback on their experiences, etc. That is why we will be asking individuals on the day how they want to be involved and when.
“People can come along for the whole event or just pop in when they are free. Refreshments will be provided and there’s even a play space for the kids so bring them along!”
At this event, the Trust will also be asking members of the public for their ideas on a name for the brand new Maternity Unit at Furness General Hospital (FGH), and what the Trust can do to remember the past, such as a special garden, a memory tree, a water feature, etc. If you can’t attend the event but would like to share your thoughts and ideas, you can email Barry Rigg, Community Engagement Manager, on [email protected], get in touch the Trust on social media (@UHMBT), or post your ideas at the special table display that has been set up in the main reception at FGH.
The Trust wants people from all over Morecambe Bay to come to the event – not just those from Lancaster. To help with that, the Trust will be providing transport for those that don’t live in close proximity to Lancaster. For more information about the transport available, please call 01539 715288 or email [email protected].
Sascha, concluded: “We want to hear from those people that use the service now and those that have used it in the past or may do in the future. This includes partners, relatives, carers, and those organisations or charities that support local families. We can then use your experiences; along with the feedback we have received in various other ways, to improve things further. We hope to see as many people as possible there on the day.”
A further event will be taking place in Kendal at the Town Hall on Monday 2 October from 1pm – 6pm.
You can also join in the conversation online by following the Trust on Twitter @UHMBT and Facebook at www.facebook.com/UHMBT, using the hashtag #MaternityCYPMatters.