MATERNITY care for mums-to-be in Tendring was at the top of the agenda at a visit to the King’s Fund.

Teri Gavin-Jones, clinical lead for the maternity transformation programme across north-east Essex and Suffolk, visited the independent charity last Tuesday.

Teri met with Baroness Cumberlege to discuss how the Better Births initiative has impacted on the area so far.

Better Births was launched in May, and is a new way of working for maternity services across Suffolk and north-east Essex.

The aim is to deliver a more personalised service to new mothers and their families, with each pregnant mum getting her own dedicated midwifery team and the reassurance of a midwife she knows present at the birth.

Initially, six new “continuity of care” teams have been created across Ipswich, west Suffolk and Colchester hospitals, providing antenatal, birth and post-natal care and offering new mothers an unparalleled level of support.

Now, the maternity team in north-east Essex is focusing particularly on continuing to improve the care available to women in Tendring.

Teri said: “We know that once again for a third year Jaywick was named the most deprived area in the UK.

“Many children living in Jaywick live in poverty.

“We know that the pregnancy journey and maternity experience can impact profoundly on a child’s life chances.

“We believe that by offering continuity of care to the women of Clacton and Harwich we can positively impact on the wellbeing of the whole family.

“The pregnancy and birth journey offers us an opportunity to work with women to address issues such as smoking, weight management, diabetes and emotional wellbeing. All of these have huge implications for the health of mums and babies.”

She said she also wants to work with organisations and the voluntary sector to wrap serviced around the women of these areas.

She added: “Clacton Maternity Unit offers a birth environment that is midwife led and has a ‘home from home’ feel.

“There will always be women who need more medical involvement in their births, but we would like to see more women with uncomplicated pregnancies use the wonderful birthing facilities at Clacton.”

Teri also spoke with Baroness Cumberlege about Better Births and the future of maternity services nationally.

Baroness Cumberlege led the National Maternity Review which led to Better Births.

To find out more about maternity care in north-east Essex visit neessexccg.nhs.uk/maternity.