In this blog, Emma Crookes, RCOG Women’s Network co-Vice Chair and Chair of the Lived Experience Group for the Taking collective action to deliver low carbon, equitable maternity care project, explains why sustainability in maternity care is so important.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is collaborating with the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare (CSH), Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition (SHC) to deliver the exciting new Taking collective action to deliver low carbon, equitable maternity care project, funded by the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI).
This project has brought together experts from obstetrics and midwifery as well as a group of 10 people with lived experience to support maternity teams to run quality improvement projects to tackle carbon hotspots. This lived experience group plays a vital role to ensure the innovations identified as part of the project will benefit the whole maternity system and equitably support the needs of everyone using maternity services.
But can making maternity care more sustainable help to reduce inequity of care? This is just one of the key questions this project aims to answer. Addressing the complex intersection of sustainability and maternal inequities requires a multidisciplinary approach that prioritises the wellbeing of pregnant women and people and their children, which is why it is so crucial that the involvement of maternity service users is at the heart of this project. Listening to and involving the views of those who use maternity services, the people that support them and the wider maternity community helps ensure any suggested innovations will truly work for everyone and genuinely support the reduction of inequalities.
I am thrilled to be leading on this work as co-Vice Chair of the RCOG Women’s Network. Having been involved in a range of projects across maternity and pelvic floor health, I can really see the need for more work and innovation in sustainable maternity care. The research is clear, pregnant women, people and infants are some of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and we know that climate change and healthcare inequalities are linked.
As Lived Experience Group Chair, I lead the group’s meetings and collaborate closely with the project team to pinpoint key areas where lay input can make a significant impact. My goal is to ensure that every member of the Lived Experience Group has the chance to contribute their invaluable insights and experiences, enriching our collective understanding and decision-making.
Lived Experience Group members have a range of recent lived experience accessing fertility, maternity and post-natal services. We also have involvement from several support groups and organisations including Cysters, Big Birthas and Mums for Lungs. This diversity of voices means that the perspectives of the group keep this work grounded in what is actually important to women and people using services.
Meetings are animated and exciting as everyone is so passionate about this work and so excited to see what innovations are proposed! What clearly comes across in discussions with group members is the need for innovations that tackle maternity carbon hotspots, but also support choice, informed consent and personalised care whilst not exacerbating health inequalities or contributing to experiences of poor care. Not a simple ask but I know there are lots of healthcare professionals doing great work in these areas already, the challenge is to now apply these through a sustainability lens.
A crucial role for the group has been feeding in to the decision making around which areas of the maternity pathway identified as carbon and inequity hotspots should be prioritised as focus areas for the project. One clear priority for the group was the need to streamline services and systems to avoid waste and value service user’s time. The group felt that issues around delayed discharge and inefficient scheduling of appointments posed a range of challenges for service users, negatively impacted the most marginalised communities and also contributed to increased carbon emissions and environmental harm. Another area the group highlighted was the need to tackle the long-lasting effects of incontinence following childbirth. This is an area I’m really passionate about, having been involved in the development of perinatal pelvic health services. I can really see the need for better promotion of ante-natal pelvic health advice and access to specialist services. Improving postnatal continence care may prevent life-long need for continence products and associated care which contribute to carbon emissions and waste.
Most recently, the Lived Experience Group has supported the development of the key next phase of the project, the Green Maternity Challenge. This is a national programme designed by CSH to promote environmentally sustainable practices in maternity care and aims to turn knowledge into actionable strategies. Applications are open now until Friday 20 September 2024, to find six multi-professional teams to participate in this challenge. These teams will receive mentoring and support from CSH to develop and implement sustainable quality improvement projects. The goal is to demonstrate the significant impact that clinical teams can have through practical, achievable changes.
The group has been involved in the development of the application forms and will play a key role in the shortlisting and selection process, ensuring that the suggested projects will be of benefit to maternity service users and will genuinely support the reduction of inequalities.
There is more information on the Green Maternity Challenge and the application forms and process here.
I look forward to seeing your application and working with your Trust on this exciting, innovative project!
This work was commissioned and funded by SBRI Healthcare. SBRI Healthcare is an Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) initiative, in partnership with the Health Innovation Network. The views expressed in the publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of SBRI Healthcare or its stakeholders.