East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust has launched the Willow Team – a midwifery team providing continuity of carer for parents-to-be across Blackburn.
The team will cover the BB1, BB1 2 and BB1 3 postcode areas, and will make sure that the same midwifery team provide care throughout a person’s entire pregnancy, during labour, and in the early weeks following the baby’s birth.
Each pregnant person under the care of the Willow Team will have a named midwife, but will also have the opportunity to meet the other midwives on the team when circumstances allow. This means they will be familiar with the midwife providing their care.
The Willow Team has been established following guidance from the Better Births Government white paper, that calls for more women to be provided with continuity of the midwife caring for them, throughout their maternity journey.
“The Trust facilitates approximately 6500 births a year across three sites, four birth locations and in the home. This means that providing continuity of carer during labour and birth can be more challenging”, said Jessica Sandford, Continuity of Care Project Lead.
“The Willow Team model provides care in a way that enables the pregnant person to build a deeper and more meaningful relationship with their midwife, based on mutual trust and respect for each other.
“When midwives are able to get to know women in this way, we are really able to develop an understanding of what is important to them, and how best we can support them. It is also reassuring for expectant parents and their families to be greeted by not just a friendly face, but a familiar one, at a time when they may be feeling anxious or worried.”
As a twenty-four hour service, the team will provide a midwife for an expectant parent in labout, to provide support whenever they go in to labour, and wherever they chose to give birth – which could be at home, at one of the Birth Centres in East Lancashire, or at Lancashire Women’s and Newborn Centre.
“Providing labour care and being a part of what is often the most special event in people’s lives is a privilege for any midwife”, said Jessica. ”But to be able to follow them throughout pregnancy and get to know them and their family just makes it even more special.”