This is a cohort study (which follows particpants over a long period of time) to assess models of care for women living in disadvantaged areas in collaboration with Lambeth LEAP partnership.
The LEAP midwifery caseload team supports vulnerable pregnant women in most disadvantaged postcodes in Lambeth to receive continuity of midwifery care. Researchers in this theme will use routine data to investigate the health needs, healthcare use and health outcomes for women accessing LEAP services.
They will carry out longitudinal qualitative interviews with women and staff to explore links between services and inform future implementation strategies.
In the context of COVID, the LEAP community of midwifery care is not being delivered consistent to the original study design, as midwifery staff are providing remote consultations and there are staff shortages due to deployment of midwives. This has had significant implications for our evaluation of the LEAP midwifery model.
The research team are investigating the impact of Covid-19 on women and their families particularly looking at how maternity and perinatal mental health services are delivered now and in the future. They are holding two events via Zoom to discuss these issues and would like to draw on a very diverse range of maternal and mental health experiences and interests. We particularly want to involve people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. Read about the events
In November 2021, the research team published a paper in BMJ Open examining whether birth outcome inequality can be reduced using targeted caseload midwifery. The study shows that a model of caseload midwifery care implemented in disadvantaged areas of Lambeth significantly reduced preterm birth and birth by caesarean section when compared with traditional care.
